


LIS: The Rebecca Styles Story

by lis562



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Mystery, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Revenge, Soap Opera, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-02-19 21:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 86,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13132338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lis562/pseuds/lis562
Summary: It has been twenty five years since the tornado destroyed Arcadia Bay. Despite all the hardships and struggles they faced the years after, Max and Chloe have lived to become a very successful couple. They have raised two wonderful children together. However, a reminder of the destruction they left behind eventually comes back to haunt them, in the form of a girl named Rebecca Styles.  Rebecca, a 18 year-old ambitious and beautiful woman, discovers secrets of her past after experiencing unusual nightmare-like sequences.  With the help of her two friends, Rebecca goes on a mission to confront the two mysterious girls present in her dreams and learn more about their connection to the 2013 Arcadia Bay Storm.





	1. Nightmares Begin

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on FanFiction.net on August 2, 2017(Before LIS: BTS was released). Still In Process. Will transfer a few chapters at a time.
> 
> Hello there! This is my second fic I have ever written so I'm still fairly new to writing and learning. I hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> Synopsis: Inspired by mexican soap operas, This fanfic will tell the story of 18 year old high school student Rebecca Styles who is a stunning, intelligent, ambitious, adventurous, but deep down an ungrateful and selfish young woman. She's the daughter of a couple who barely survived the Great 2013 Arcadia Bay Storm. Her parents lost everything in the tornado and despite working extremely hard for the next seven years, they never restored their former glory. Ashamed and broken, they abandoned Rebecca in a garbage dumpster the day she was born where she was found by a local police officer.
> 
> She was soon adopted by her loving new parents ,George and Teresa Styles, who couldn't have children of their own. Her adoptive parents have never told the truth to Rebecca that she's adopted and how she was found. The family currently resides in middle class Portland, Oregon and while they aren't particularly poor, Rebecca was always envy of the rich kids and her friends in school. Her adoptive parents have tried their best to provide for Rebecca but it was never good enough for her. However, Rebecca still loves them but knows that only she can do something about her future and make sure she lives a successful and wealthy future. Maybe with her good looks, intelligence, or out-going personality, or perhaps all three of them?
> 
> Join Rebecca as she discovers the truth of her origin, investigates the tornado that destroyed her family and home town, and her journey to meet the two mysterious girls who are present in her visions. What will Rebecca discover in her journey? What will she learn at the end? Who will she meet? Stay tuned.
> 
> Few notes:
> 
> 1\. While this is set in the future (starting in the year 2038), this is going to be written with present technology and knowledge in mind. Sorry. This story follows the "Bae Ending" and I have tweaked the level of destruction the tornado made.
> 
> 2\. This will be told from Rebecca's POV for the most part, however, there will be chapters primarily focused on Max and Chloe and their children. There will be other Blackwell characters as well, who will be revealed later.

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

 

It has been a very long night of studying for Rebecca. She has just finished studying for her history and science final which she has later on that day. It is now 2AM and she has been dying to go to sleep. She turns off her computer and goes to brush her teeth and gets ready for bed.

_Oh man, what a long night. I know I'm going ace those finals! Just a few days more to go until graduation! You can do this girl! Just need to wait a bit until I can leave this dump and go off to college to start my career at U-dub! I can't wait! Sorry Mom and Dad, I will always love and appreciate what you guys have done for me, but it is my time to be free and work on my future._

She stares at her reflection on the bathroom's mirror and admires her beauty. She plays with her gorgeous defined black curly hair and touches her smooth and clear brown skin on her face and arms. She admires her beautiful hazel eyes and hourglass figure.

_Someday I'm going to be rich and famous. I don't know how I'm going to do it but I know I will be. I have the brains, the talent, and good looks. Maybe I'll meet my future rich husband in college or at least my future rich business partners. Mom and Dad keeps telling me that money isn't everything and won't buy you happiness but damn, those rich kids at my school sure look pretty happy to me. They always wear the most beautiful and expensive clothing and always have the latest phones and tablets._

Rebecca finishes brushing her teeth and finally goes to bed. Feeling very tired and exhausted, she quickly goes asleep.

She wakes up to find herself lying face down somewhere. It is raining extremely hard and the wind is out of control. She quickly gets up and looks around her surroundings. She doesn't recognize this place at all. She sees a lighthouse up the hill ahead.

_Wait-what's going on here? Where am I? How did I get here? Am I in the middle of a hurricane or something? How the hell did I get here? Wait, there's a lighthouse up there. Maybe there's somebody in there that can help me out._

She starts to slowly walk up the hill towards the lighthouse. As she is approaching the lighthouse, she gets a nice view of the huge tornado that is about to hit a town.

 _Whoa_ _! That's one huge tornado! That must be the biggest one in recorded history! Damn, I better get inside that lighthouse to be safe from that thing. Hold on, who are those two just standing there?_

Rebecca notices that there are two girls standing at the edge of the cliff who are holding hands and watching the tornado. One of the girls is a short girl with chestnut brown hair wearing a black jacket and a backpack and the other girl is slightly taller and has blue hair and has a 90's or 00's punk girl look on her. Their faces are blurred for the most part.

_Why are they just standing there and watching it happen? Who are those people?_

"HEY! HEY! CAN YOU GUYS HELP ME? WHERE AM I? HELLO?!"

Rebecca screams at them but the two girls don't turn around or acknowledge her. She walks towards them to get their attention, thinking that they can't hear her, but a tree falls in front of her.

_Oh shit! That was close! That almost killed me! Man, those two must be deaf or something. They didn't turn around to hear a giant tree falling just a few feet behind them! They act so sure like nothing is going to happen to them._

As Rebecca tries to go around the tree, a flying piece of paper smacks her on the face. She grabs the paper and looks at it. It is the front page of a newspaper.

_Arcadia Bay Beacon...Dated Friday October 11, 2013. 2013? Did I went back in time or something? Wait, where did they go?_

She realizes that the two girls are gone and are nowhere in sight.

_Where did they go? How did they get out of this mess? Arcadia Bay? I heard of this place before I think...I just don't remember how. Arcadia Bay. Arcadia Bay, Oregon. October 11, 2013._

She keeps repeating the town's name and date in her head until she realizes that the top of the lighthouse has started to fall apart and is about to fall on top of her. Unable to get out the way, she raises her hands to protect herself.

She screams in horror as she wakes up from the nightmare. She is sweating and breathing heavily. She looks around and realizes that she's back in her room which relieves her.

_Oh-thank god. It was only a dream. It wasn't real. I should have known better. I hope my screaming didn't wake up my parents. Oh shit, it's already 6 in the morning? Fuck! I need to get ready for school soon. Damn, I barely slept at all!_

Her screams did wake up her adoptive father as he storms into the room to check up on her. He takes a seat on her bed and sees if she has gotten any harm by a possible intruder.

"You're okay Rebecca? I heard you screaming a minute ago. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong dad. Just a bad dream I had. I'm fine now. Sorry If I woke you guys up."

"Oh, don't worry about that honey. We were already awake pretty much. Tell me about your bad dream."

"Well ok, nothing much happened. It felt so real though. I was in a cliff or something and there was a lighthouse on top of it. There was a huge tornado approaching a town and I saw two girls holding hands and watching it just happen. A newspaper page hit me in the face and it read 'Arcadia Bay Beacon-October 11, 2013'. Then I saw the lighthouse falling on top of me which made me wake up screaming. Pretty weird dream I must say."

"A-Arcadia Bay?"

"Yes, Arcadia Bay. October 13. That's what I read on the newspaper. Why?"

The mention of Arcadia Bay makes George abruptly stand up and makes him scratch his head and pace around her room.

"What's wrong dad? I had the nightmare, not you!"

Rebecca laughs at her dad acting so strange and afraid after hearing about her nightmare. He stops pacing around and composes himself.

"Oh, nothing dear. I just find it weird that you were dreaming about that town."

"Yeah, I never heard of that town before I think and I didn't recognize the two girls or anything in it. Just a random and weird dream right dad?"

He nods in approval and puts his right hand on her left shoulder.

"Yeah, just a weird dream. Just forget about it ok?"

"O-okay I will."

"Good! Now get ready to school. Big day for you today. I hope you studied well!"

"Yeah, I did dad. Don't worry! It will be a piece of cake."

He smiles again and leaves her room in a fast pace.

_Just forget about it? That's a bit odd. Just hearing the name "Arcadia Bay" made him act so strange and different. Oh well, nevermind that now. I have to get ready for school and take my finals._

She gets up from bed and goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day.


	2. Deja Vu

**CHAPTER 2**

* * *

Although she is forced to wear uniform to school, Rebecca always makes sure to look as good as possible every day. She has never been a big fan of makeup, probably because her parents couldn't afford much of it, but she always had the best skin care and hair products that they could afford at her disposal. She used to change her hairstyles a lot but has kept her curls for a while. She has been told countless times by her friends and even by the most popular kids in school, that she is naturally beautiful and that she doesn't need to rely on make up to look great. Standing five feet and ten inches tall, she has been told many times that she could easily pass as a supermodel.

She finishes dressing up and getting ready then goes to the kitchen to join her parents for breakfast. She notices that her parents are not in a very good mood and have not touch their breakfast. They appear afraid to see her joining them at the kitchen table. Her mother has made her a Denver omelet and coffee. She notices that her parents are just watching her eat with worried smiles on their faces.

"What's wrong guys?"

"Oh-nothing dear. Just finish your breakfast before you go."

Her mother hesitantly responds which is an immediate red flag for Rebecca. She knows her parents well.

"You guys are acting a bit strange. What's going on?"

"Nothing dear. We-we are just nervous for your finals."

"Dad, I told you that I studied a lot for them. You've seen my grades. I have an A+ in all my classes. I'm going to easily pass them. You guys never questioned my academic performance before. That's not it. You guys are hiding something right?"

"N-no we're not dear."

"Yes, that's it! I know you Dad. I know when you are lying to me. You guys have something planned for me right? A graduation gift or something?"

George and Teresa look at each other and nod in approval.

"Yes! Exactly! That's it! We have something planned for you on graduation night. It's going to be a surprise! You're gonna love it!"

"I knew it! You guys are bad at hiding stuff from me. But I guess you guys forgot that I'm going to Reno with Stephanie and Roger that night to celebrate."

"Oh, don't worry. Our plan won't interfere in your celebration party."

"Ok then,that's good!"

Rebecca resumes eating as her parents are relieved from the tension. They watch her finish her breakfast, clean her dishes, and take her car keys to go to school. She kisses both on the cheek and leaves the house.

"George, do you think it's time to tell her the truth?"

"Tess, I don't know. Does she need to know anyways? What could she benefit from knowing the truth?"

"That nightmare she had meant something. I think we need to get it out of our systems as well. She needs to know the truth before she leaves to college. I think it's the perfect time to tell her. She doesn't have anything to lose but has everything to gain. This might change her for the better."

"Are you sure Tess? What if that ruins her? What if she hates us after not telling her the truth earlier? She's about to enter the most important years of her life. Imagine learning that the two people you know as mom and dad, aren't your real mother and father just before going to college. I-I don't think it's the right time for that!"

"George, she will understand. We thought her everything we know about life. We raised her well, despite her obsession of wealth and popularity. I have no idea where her fascination of being rich and popular comes from but I know she loves us. We love her. She's going to leave us for four to six years anyways. You know that she doesn't want to be stuck here forever and has wanted to leave the house and become independent for quiet some time. She's not going to visit us often or at all in those four to six years. That's just who she is. We have to tell her before she goes."

Teresa puts her hands on top of her husband's hand and looks directly at his eyes.

"You're right honey. It's now or never. We will tell her before she leaves."

Meanwhile, Rebecca is on route to school, driving an old Honda Civic that her parents bought used for her 16th birthday. Although her car is old and busted, Rebecca has a soft spot for it and enjoys driving so much that it doesn't bother her. However, she knows that eventually she needs to sell it or trade it in for a car more of her style soon. She parks her car in the student's parking lot and heads towards the side gate where her best friend Stephanie is waiting for. Stephanie, a fellow senior and classmate of hers, is a short nerdy white girl with short brunette hair and blue eyes. They have known each other since 6th grade. Always with a smile on her face, Stephanie is a great friend and sidekick to her, always providing support when she needs it. Plus she's from one of the richest family in town, which is a huge bonus for Rebecca. They meet other at the gates and begin to walk towards history class.

"Good morning Rebecca. You're looking great as always."

"Thanks Stephanie. Did you study for the final?"

"Just a bit. How about you?"

"Stayed up until 2 am last night. Just to be safe."

"You're always hardcore when it comes to school Rebecca."

"Of course, I have to be so I can have a successful life in the future."

"Oh, please don't get started on that again. School isn't everything."

"Exactly Steph. That's why I have all my bases covered. If my good looks, talents, skills, or personality don't make me successful, a great education will."

"Yes, I know that, you been saying that for months. We already got accepted to the University of Washington, these finals don't really mean much anyways."

"While that is true, I like to be consistent. You know that."

"That I do. I just can't wait to go to Reno on Thursday with you and Roger."

"Me neither. I have saved a lot recently. Plus I'm expecting a couple hundred from my grandparents and aunts. Thank you graduation gifts!"

"That's great to hear. I was a bit worried that you had to rely on me for money for the entire trip."

"Don't flatter yourself Steph."

"Just sayin'. Oh look it's Jessica and her posse."

Stephanie points out Jessica, a tall skinny blonde white girl and the queen bee of the school, walking pass them in the hallway with her group of friends. Jessica gives Rebecca and Stephanie a brief smile as they pass by. Despite being the official queen bee, Jessica actually treats Rebecca with mutual respect and even admitted once that if Rebecca was from a rich family, she could have easily been in her place. Jessica even offered Rebecca a chance to be her right hand person. However, as much as the offer intrigued her, Rebecca ultimately rejected it knowing that she can be so much more than a simple minded follower and perhaps maybe even overthrow Jessica by herself. While that idea didn't come true, Rebecca knows that she can try again in college where it matters the most.

"Jessica's heading down to USC I heard."

"Oh really? Good for her."

"Yeah, not bad huh. Anyways, it's time for class to start. Let's this get final over with."

They enter their history class and take their seats. The school bell rings. Their history teacher named Mr. Kviring, an old man in his 60's, starts to pass out the final exams.

"Okay class. This final will count as 30% of your grade. Some of you need to pass this test to pass the class. Some of you need to pass this test to even graduate. Take as much time as you need. I hope you all studied enough for this. Good luck everybody. Once you are done, raise your hand and I'll pick up the exam for you. No phones. No talking to each other. No cheating. Once you are finished, you can put your head down or you can study for your other finals."

Rebecca blazes through her world history final, knowing the answer to almost all the questions, and finishes it before anybody else. She raises her hand so her teacher can pick up the exam and decides to put her head down as she has done the sufficient studying for her other final already.

_That was easier than I thought. I recognized almost 100% of everything I saw in there. Easy final. Looks like Steph and the rest of the class are taking their time with it. Oh well, nothing better to do now other than put my head down and close my eyes..._

As she's relaxing and waiting for others to finish the exam, she suddenly starts hearing voices and ambient sounds that are not coming from anybody in the class. She opens her eyes and realizes that she's back at the cliff with the two girls and the huge tornado approaching the same town. This time however, she is closer to the two girls and can hear them talking to each other, however just barely. She can't make out everything they say as their voices sound like they're coming from far away despite her being right next to them.

_This dream again? Why am I back here again? Did I really went to sleep that fast? Who are these two girls and what are they talking about? Their voices keep breaking up..._

"This is...the only way..."

"Fuck that! You're all that matters to me!"

"Think about how many times I died or almost died...my mother deserves better than dieing in a fucking diner...I know I been selfish but..."

"I can't make this choice!"

"No, you're the only one who can...I know you will make the right decision...It's time..."

"Not anymore!"

Rebecca sees the short chestnut brown haired girl rip apart a photo and the two of them start holding hands, watching the tornado hit the town. Once again, the same newspaper smacks in her face and she reads the same information.

_Arcadia Bay Beacon. October 11, 2013. Just like last time. This is getting spooky, why am I getting these dreams? What's the point of them?_

"MISS STYLES!"

Hearing her teacher shout her name snaps her out from her apparent dream. He and the rest of the class are staring at her.

"Miss Styles, looks like you were having a nightmare about Arcadia Bay, Oregon. You were disrupting the class with your sleep talking. Go wash up in the bathroom to stay awake if you like."

Rebecca slowly nods in approval and leaves her class to go the bathroom.

_Arcadia Bay. Arcadia Bay. October 11, 2013. I can't get that out of my head. Why? I gotta found out what happened on that particular date! I have to tell Steph about all of this. She's going to like this. She likes creepy stuff._

She goes to the bathroom and washes her face. As she checks herself out, she notices a blue butterfly flying and landing on her shoulder.

_A butterfly? In the bathroom? This whole day just keeps getting stranger and stranger. This actually might make a nice selfie._

She takes out her phone and takes a selfie with the butterfly on her shoulder but as soon as she is ready to upload it to social media, she notices that the butterfly is absent from the picture and has apparently disappeared from sight.

_What the hell? It was just right here! Oh man, it is really starting to get freaky here._

After class is over, Rebecca begins to talk to Stephanie about her dreams and her encounter with the butterfly in the bathroom.

"Damn, that is really creepy and weird. How long have you experienced this?"

"It just started today. I can't stop thinking about it. What the hell is Arcadia Bay and what happened on October 11, 2013?"

"Arcadia Bay...I heard about it before. I can't put my finger on it though. You want to go to the library and do some research? We can both skip next class as we don't have a final for it and all we're going to do is watch a movie anyways."

"I know I heard about it before too. Okay, that's fine with me. Let's go to the library."

The two of them ditch their multicultural class and enters the school's library and uses one of their computers.

"Okay Rebecca, what was the date again?"

"October 11, 2013. Arcadia Bay, Oregon"

"Alright, let's see what good ol Google brings us."

She types that date and name and instantly brings up countless results.

Rebecca takes over the computer and starts to skim over some of the online articles. She reads some of the headlines.

_Top 10 worst tornadoes in recorded history. Arcadia Bay destroyed by mysterious deadly tornado. Biggest mystery of all-what caused the tornado to hit Arcadia Bay on October 11, 2013? 25 years later, we look back at the deadliest tornado ever to hit the state of Oregon etc._

"Looks like your dream was a real event Rebecca. So that's where we heard it from. We probably watched a youtube video about it before and just forgot about the name of the town"

"Damn, just looking at these pictures and videos about it, it must have been terrifying to be there. Even in my dreams, I felt the force created by that tornado, I can only imagine what it was like to actually experience it first hand. But why am I dreaming about this? I have no connection to this event. None of my other family members live in Oregon anymore."

"Beats me. I wouldn't worry about it though. At least you now know what your dreams are about, maybe they will just go away. Random freaky dreams do happen you know."

"Yeah, you're right Steph. I just never experienced something so strange happening to me before."

"I believe every single of us interact with the paranormal at least once in our lifetimes. Maybe it's your time."

"Maybe. The weird thing is that when I told my dad about my dream, the word "Arcadia Bay" made him act so strange. I never seen him acting like that. I don't know Steph, maybe I'm over thinking everything just because of two little dreams."

"It could be your subconscious or a paranormal entity telling you something. I suggest you talking to your parents about this. Maybe you'll find out that you used to have a family member living in Arcadia Bay or god knows what else."

"Yeah, maybe. I'll ask them after school today. If that is the case, then I wonder what  _is_  my connection to it?"

"Let me know what you find out Rebecca. I'm very interested on what they tell you. "

"I sure will. Now, let's get ready for lunch then take our other final."

"Right on!"

**CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3**


	3. All a Dream?

**CHAPTER 3**

* * *

After blazing through her finals and the rest of her school day, Rebecca drives back home to ask her parents if they know anything about the Arcadia Bay tornado, however she doesn't find them at home. She gets a text from her mother stating they are out grocery shopping and that they should be home in an hour. Interested in learning more about the tornado, she turns on her computer to investigate further. She can't stop watching youtube videos about it and reads how even today's meteorologists can't explain how it happened. She watches videos about crazy theories of what caused the storm, theories ranging from Native American curses to aliens. She can't stop thinking about the two girls and what they were saying to each other. On a hunch, she decides to look to see if there's any video or online article talking about the two girls but she comes up with no results. She discovers an old list of survivors of the storm but with no pictures. She doesn't recognize any of the names and there is nobody on that list with the surname of Styles.

_Dammit what am I doing? I'm wasting my time on this mess. It was just a dream! I just can't get it out of my mind. Why can't I just stop thinking about it? All of this thinking is causing a headache that I don't want or need. Ugh. Damn this headache is quickly getting pretty bad. I have to take a pill now._

Her headache worsens and before she knows it, she's no longer in her room and is back at the same cliff from her dreams. This time however, the tornado has already begun destroying the town and she sees one of the girls digging a hole on the ground by a rock. It is the chestnut brown haired girl who is digging. Rebecca watches her take out something from her backpack, a book or a journal, and dropping it on the hole then burying it. The taller blue haired color just watches her friend do this then they resume to hold hands and begin to walk away from the cliff, with tears on their eyes. The two girls don't acknowledge Rebecca at all as they pass by her. Rebecca goes to the spot where the girl buried her book or journal then snaps back into reality. She's back at her room and hears that her parents have returned from grocery shopping.

_Damn, I had another day dream of that damn tornado again. Those girls are suspicious. Something is up with them. One of them buried something on the ground. Could they be witches or something? No, that's just silly Rebecca. It's all in your head. Nobody else mentions those girls anywhere on the internet. However, something is telling me that those two girls did exist and were somehow involved in that tornado. Fuck, why do I even care about that though? It happened before I was born. However, something is telling me that I may have some sort of connection to it after all. I can't shake the feeling that I do have a connection it. I better ask my parents about it just like Stephanie advised me. Maybe they know something that I don't._

Rebecca leaves her room and sees her parents organizing the refrigerator.

"Hey honey, how was school today?"

"Oh it was great! I passed my finals easily. Just like I said I would Dad. No issues at all."

"That's our Rebecca! Congrats! Just two days to go until graduation!"

"Thanks mum. Hey...can I ask you guys a random question?"

"U-um sure go ahead honey."

"Please listen, it's going to sound awkward and weird but it's about the dream I had last night. I had it again two other times already. I keep having these dreams or visions and I don't know why."

Upon hearing this, both of her adoptive parents stopped what they were doing and begin to act nervous and strange. They look at each other and give a little nod to each other.

"Okay Rebecca, what is your question?"

"Do you guys know anything about the Arcadia Bay Storm that happened over 20 years ago?"

There is a pregnant pause between the time Rebecca asked the question and until one of them finally responds.

"Honey, all we know is that the tornado killed a lot of people and destroyed the entire town. It took many years to rebuilt it. I'm sure the internet can explain it more than we could."

Her father is the one who finally breaks the silence, although Rebecca sees right through him. She knows that he's hiding something.

"Okay, I knew that already. Did we had family over there or a family friend or any connection to it at all?"

Her mother decides to answer this time as she clearly sees her husband uncomfortable and nervous.

"No, dear. We don't know anybody who ever lived in that town or is currently living there. As you know, my family is from Montana and your father's family is from Oregon but they are all now in Texas and none of them lived past Portland. We really don't know much about it other than that. We don't understand why you are having such dreams about it. It's pretty strange."

Rebecca knows her parents well and can immediately tell when they are lying. She could tell by their body language and the way they talk to herr. She has always been a curious and observing girl.

_They're hiding something. I don't know what it is but they are hiding something!_

"You guys are lying to me. Please tell me the truth. What are you guys hiding from me? A secret uncle? An aunt? A cousin? A lost brother? What is it? Are you criminals? What is it?"

"None of those things dear. I'm sorry but we can't talk anymore. I need to get dinner ready, your father needs to work on your car and-"

"No, we need to talk now! What's making you guys so uncomfortable about my dreams? What exactly are you guys hiding from me? Mom and Dad please. I have to know."

Her parents look at each other again, look down for a few seconds, and then orders Rebecca to take a seat on the dinner table.

"Okay Rebecca, we do need to tell you about something you need to know however it is not what you think. We were going to wait until you left for college to tell you this but since you insist, we will tell you about your connection to Arcadia Bay."

As they are taking their seats and her mother is getting each of them a glass of water, her heart is racing and her mind is going through millions of questions and thoughts a minute.

_Holy shit! Stephanie was right! They do know something about the tornado and Arcadia Bay! What have they been hiding from me? I'm so excited yet at the same time I'm so afraid of what they are going to tell me. It could be anything! Oh man, it must be pretty bad if just hearing the name Arcadia Bay makes them uncomfortable and has made them not even mentioning to me before. Stay positive Rebecca. Maybe they hid gold over there or something._

Her mother joins them at the dinner table, drinks some water, and starts to explain.

"Rebecca, before we tell you about what we have hidden from you, I just want to remind you that we both love you and will always love you. No matter what. You are a beautiful and very smart girl and a fabulous daughter. We are very proud of you. We expect a lot of great things from you and we both know that you can achieve your goals and you will go on to live a very successful life if you put your mind on it. However, there is something we need to tell you that we haven't told you yet. Something very important. Please understand that we just wanted what was best for you and we wanted to offer you with the best possible childhood and young adulthood that we could provide. We both worked very hard to raise you and we have raised you well. We apologize that we weren't rich or had the ability to afford every birthday or Christmas present you wanted but we tried our best to teach you life lessons and skills that are far more valuable than money. We will always love and care about you. Forever. Never forget about that."

The two of them begin to shed tears and hold hands, nervously shaking because they are about to tell Rebecca the truth. Rebecca has been told countless times by her parents of how much they love her and such. This time, however, she strongly feels the love and care coming from their words and sheds a tear and starts to feel miserable and sad. Somehow, she knows that whatever they are about to tell her, it will not be good news and will change her life forever.

"Rebecca...this is going to be very hard for us to tell you, but you need to know. Honey, we are not your real parents. You were adopted..."

**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4**


	4. Revelation

**CHAPTER 4**

* * *

"I-I'm adopted?"

Rebecca feels her heart sink and is in total disbelief. This is not something she expected to hear at all. She has never doubted or ever thought for a moment that the two people sitting in front of her could be anybody else but her parents. Her parents look just like her. They are both tall, biracial, have black hair, and have similar looking eyes.

"Yes Rebecca, we adopted you when you were just a few weeks old."

Tears begin to flow down Rebecca's eyes which makes her parents start to cry as well. Rebecca nods her head in disagreement.

"You guys are kidding right? I mean...mom...dad...please tell me you're just joking around..."

"No...Rebecca. We are not joking around. No real parents would joke around with stuff like this. I did not give birth to you. I am not your biological mother."

"This can't be the truth...we all look alike...Mom...Dad...you been lying to me all my life... WHY!?"

"I'm so sorry sweetie. We didn't want to make you upset. We wanted you to live a normal childhood just like any other kid. We been afraid to tell you! We thought that we never needed to tell you."

"So...you guys were never going to tell me about it?"

"No, Rebecca. We felt that you didn't need to know. We were encouraged to tell you when you were around six or seven but we decided not to. You were such a happy little girl that we couldn't imagine the thought of you being unhappy. You have to understand us Rebecca. We wanted the best for you. Please forgive us!"

Rebecca starts to feel angry and slams the dinner table.

"YOU TWO HAVE LIED TO ME ALL MY LIFE! WHAT OTHER SECRETS HAVE YOU GUYS KEPT FROM ME? WHO ARE YOU TWO REALLY? WHAT IS MY REAL NAME? WHO ARE MY REAL PARENTS?"

Her parents start to feel scared and more nervous.

"We're so sorry Rebecca! Your father and I just cared and loved you so much that..."

"Answer my questions...Teresa...and George..."

Her parents start to feel heartbroken when she stops calling them "Mom and Dad". Although Rebecca has called her dad "George" plenty of times before as a joke, it is the fact that she called her mother "Teresa" and the way she said it with such anger and hate, that makes them feel more miserable.

"Rebecca...we don't know who your real parents are. We do not know what your birth name is. It doesn't matter though! We love you and I know that you love us! We are your real parents! We care about you with all of our heart! We raised you to become who you are today. You are Rebecca Styles! Nothing is ever going to change that!"

Rebecca wants to shout more but the last thing her mother says calms her down a bit. She starts to ponder about all of this and lets it sink in. She wipes away her tears and looks down as her parents do the same.

_So...I was adopted. Mom and Dad are not my real parents. They have been lying to me all my life. I can't believe this. They are not my real parents. Somebody out there decided to give me up when I was just a baby. What kind of people would do that? I'm so angry...who does that to a child? Who decides to give birth to a child only to give them away? Mom...well...Teresa..is right...I am Rebecca Styles. That's who I am. I will always be her. No matter what. I...don't know how to feel about this...I mean..I feel angry...hateful...and depressed...but who's to blame? Wait a minute...what does this have to do with Arcadia Bay? Could my real parents be from Arcadia Bay? What does this have to do with the visions I had?_

Rebecca changes her tone of voice from angry and upset to neutral and indifferent, which relieves the tension between the three of them.

"Well, thank you for finally telling me the truth...but...what does this have to do with Arcadia Bay?"

"I'm glad that you are understanding us Rebecca. You don't know how much this is hurting us."

"Don't worry...Ter-no..Mom and Dad...I understand...but please tell me about Arcadia Bay. What is my connection to that town?"

Her parents briefly smile upon hearing her calling them "Mom and Dad" again but their smiles quickly disappears as they are about to tell her about how they found her.

"Honey, all we know is that you were born in Arcadia Bay so your parents must have been part of that town as well. We know this because...you were found...in a garbage dumpster...near a liquor store...you were abandoned there. An off duty cop luckily heard you crying from the dumpster and was able to rescue you just in time. You were sent to the local hospital for treatment where Child Protection Services took you in afterwards. The police investigated but never charged anybody nor ever discovered the identity of your real parents. Those scumbags don't deserve the title of Parent. That's all we know Rebecca..."

Rebecca is fueled with anger and hate again after hearing how she was abandoned. She once again punches the table with such force that it nearly breaks it apart. Her parents are shocked and they keep a distance away from Rebecca.

"THEY NEVER FOUND OUT WHO MY REAL PARENTS ARE? THOSE PIECES OF SHITS DESERVE TO BE ARRESTED! HOW COULD PEOPLE THAT CRUEL EXIST? WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS?"

"Trust us Rebecca! We want to find out who they are too! So they can get arrested and pay for what they did for you! The Arcadia Bay police were small in numbers back then so they didn't have the personnel or the resources to do a proper investigation. We have called the FBI as well but they never responded to our letters or calls. Rebecca, pleas!. I know that you feel angry and you have every right to be, but think about it in this way. Because they abandoned you there, it led you to be adopted by us. We provided you the best possible childhood and young adulthood we could offer. Just think about how cruel and awful your life might have been if you were raised by your real parents!"

Rebecca punches the wall in anger and frustration but once again her mother's words calms her down a bit.

_She's right...if my real parents decided to keep me...where would I be? Nowhere good I imagine. My real parents were probably drug addicts or very poor people...I need to find them and show them who I am. I need to show them that their actions only made me who I am today, Rebecca Styles!_

Rebecca abruptly stands up, which worries her parents a bit, but starts walking towards her room.

"Mom...dad...I'm going to my room...if you need me...but please give me some time..."

"Take as long as you need sweetie...if you need us...we'll here for you..as always..."

They are all share a smile and Rebecca proceeds to her room where she locks herself in and goes to her bed to cry and let her emotions out.


	5. Putting the Pieces Together

**CHAPTER 5**

* * *

Rebecca has been crying in her bed for a hour or so, very emotional and very upset over what her parents told her. She cannot believe that she, Rebecca Styles, was dumped and abandoned in a garbage dumpster. She has imagined how her real parents might look like and what they could be doing right now. She has also thought about how they came to the decision to abandon her like that. She starts to connect the pieces between her being adopted and the visions she's been experiencing lately. Her anger, frustration, and all other emotions have drifted on her real parents and the visions. She has already forgiven her adopted parents about hiding the truth from her. She doesn't blame them at all. They have no fault in this. Rebecca goes to the bathroom, washes her face, and goes to her computer and takes a seat.

_So I am from Arcadia Bay, Oregon. I was born there. My real parents probably lived there. So...I do have a connection to that town...but what about the actual tornado?  What about the two girls I keep seeing? There's more to do it but Mom and Dad assured me that they don't know anything else._

Rebecca searches for directions to Arcadia Bay and notices that it's only a 2 hour drive from Portland. As much she wants to head down there right now, she comes to a realization that she has no idea where to start or why she even needs to go there.

_What are you thinking Rebecca? Why do you want to go to Arcadia Bay right now? Why do you want to go at all? What would you find there? Your real parents might be dead or may have moved somewhere else by now. The liquor store where you were found might not even exist anymore. In fact, the two girls in your visions might not even have existed at all! There's nothing for you there...or is there? I just have this overwhelming feeling in my heart that there is more to this!_

Rebecca starts to scratch her head and ponders what to do. She keeps thinking of those girls in her visions. She keeps wondering about what that chestnut brown haired girl buried in the cliff. She keeps thinking of a possible connection between the tornado and her parents.

_Could it be...that...the tornado that destroyed the town...somehow forced my real parents to abandoned me? From what I have gathered in the library and on the internet, that tornado took down almost the entire town and only a few people survived. It took nearly 12 years to re-build most of it! I'm 18 now so my parents must have hanged around in Arcadia Bay for about six to seven years after the tornado hit. Maybe they lost everything and give up on life, including myself. It's possible. It doesn't excuse them at all...but at least..if that is the case...I could understand them just a tiny bit. Those two girls though...I can't stop thinking about them. What is it with them? Are they somehow linked to the storm? That's impossible though! I think there's only one way to find out if they are real or not. I need to go to Arcadia Bay...go that cliff by the lighthouse...and see for myself. If I dig up something from that particular spot...shit just got real. I better tell Steph and Roger. I don't care if they call me crazy, I know that I'm onto something!_

Rebecca starts by calling Stephanie, who was eager to find out if her parents knew about any possible connection to Arcadia Bay.

"Hey Rebs, how are you doing? Did you tell you anything?"

"Yes, Steph. They did. You won't believe what they told me. However, I want to discuss this personally. It's a serious topic."

"Ok Rebs, that's fine with me. I'm very curious about what they told you."

"You'll find out tomorrow. I have a favor to ask you. I have yet to talk to Roger about it but I wanted to ask you first."

"What is it Rebecca?"

"How would you like to skip school tomorrow and go to Arcadia Bay?"

"Skip the second to last day of high school? Why do you want to do that?"

"It's very important to me Steph. You'll find out why once I explain everything."

"I don't know about this Rebs. Why are we going over there?"

"Trust me Steph, I  _have_  to go there sooner than later. Nothing matters at school tomorrow. Graduation is on Thursday. We can all afford to skip tomorrow."

"Well, I suppose you're right about that I guess. Okay. Fine. I'll go with you. My car or your car?"

"Your car Steph. I don't trust my Civic enough to drive that far away."

"Yup, I knew it! Classic Rebecca! Fine! I'll drive you there. I'm pretty Roger will agree to join us. You know him."

"Oh yes definitely. I know he will do what I say. So we'll meet up at your place and head down first thing tomorrow ok?"

"Whatever you say Rebs."

"Thank you Steph. Love ya."

"Lov ya too."

"Bye."

_Phew...Steph agreed to join me and drive me there! Now..time for Roger...this should be a piece of cake..._

She calls Roger and he immediately picks up.

"REBECCA! How are you? What are you doing?"

"Hey Roger...how would you like to join me and Steph on a mini-road trip tomorrow?"

"Mini-road trip? With you and Steph? Count me in. Where?"

"Arcadia Bay, Oregon."

"Arcadia Bay? That dump? Why do you want to go there?"

"I'll explain later. It's something very important to me. It will mean a lot to me if we went there tomorrow...can you please join us?"

"Your wish is my command. Okay I'll join. Who's driving?"

"Steph's driving. We'll meet up at her place in the morning, just before school starts? Got it?"

"OK, I'll be there Rebecca!"

"I know you will be. Goodbye. See you tomorrow"

"Goodnight Becky."

_Easy as usual. What a loyal white knight. Sorry Roger. You're more than that I swear. Anyways, I think I got all my emotions out of my system already. At least for now. I actually kinda feel a bit excited for tomorrow. I'll probably will find nothing there but who knows._

As Rebecca is sitting on her computer chair and thinking about tomorrow, she sees a shadow in the form of a doe appear. She quickly turns around and sees nothing from her bedroom's window. She quickly gets up and opens the window to investigate. She sees nothing out of the ordinary.

_Okay, I just a shadow of a deer or a doe! What the hell? My room is upstairs...there's no way a deer would just appear out of nowhere and be able to cast a shadow. What the hell is happening to me? I think you're just seeing things Rebecca...it's been a long day for you. Take a shower, go to bed, and listen to music and pray you don't get another vision._


	6. On the Road to Arcadia Bay

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 

After a long night of Rebecca listening to music and thinking about her real parents, the visions, graduation, and what her future holds, she finally gets up from bed and prepares for the day. Although she barely got any sleep, she feels great and is excited for the road-trip . Feeling a bit careless and lazy about her appearance today, she decides just to wear a basic gray tank top and leggings. She puts on her running shoes and grabs her purse before heading out. She sees both of her adoptive parents sitting on the kitchen table apparently waiting for her.

"Hey, you're not wearing uniform today."

"Oh, don't worry it's free dress day at school Dad. It's the second to last day remember?"

George smiles at being called "Dad".

"How are you hanging in there Rebecca? You know...after last night?"

Her mother curiously asks.

"Well, it was a tough night but I have accepted the truth. No hard feeling guys. Really. Don't worry. I'll be just fine. I won't let it get to me...I have a lot of things to look forward to. Like Graduation, my Reno trip, and of course Seattle!"

Rebecca kisses both her parents on the cheek, grabs her car eyes, and heads out. Her adoptive parents are quite relieved that Rebecca took the news well. Before she drives off towards her Stephanie's house, Rebecca grabs a shovel from the garage and takes it with her. Stephanie's parents are one of the wealthiest in town, living in the upper class side of Portland. They have a huge driveway so Roger and Rebecca can easily leave their cars there for the day. She arrives to see Roger and Stephanie waiting for her already. She parks her car and greets them.

"Good morning guys!"

"Good morning Rebs."

"Rebecca! Mornin' You looking beautiful as always!"

"Thanks Roger."

Roger and Rebecca first met in kindergarten but they were never close with each other until freshman year of high school. Roger has an obvious crush on Rebecca ever since they first met, however, he hasn't had the courage to ask her out or tell her how he feels. Rebecca figured out his crush on her a long time ago and has used it to her advantage. During her rebellious years in middle school, Rebecca copied from Roger's homework and notes which started their friendship. Roger comes from a wealthy family as well, with both of his parents being the most respected family doctors in town. He is a short, dorky, and submissive Latino teenager. However, apart from his wealth, he is also resourceful, intelligent, and dependable which makes him a great asset to Rebecca.

"So, Roger and I are ready to go to hick town-I mean Arcadia Bay. "

"So when are you going to tell us about what your parents said? Steph told me about your visions you had Rebecca. I've come up with many possible theories already based on what she told me. Do you want to listen to them?"

"Sorry Roger but not right now. You can tell me about your theories _after_ I tell y'all about what my parents told me yesterday. I had another vision and I saw something freaky yesterday. I'll explain on our way."

"Ooh, I'm so excited to hear what you're gonna say."

"Me too!"

As the three of them get into Stephanie's Prius, with Rebecca riding shotgun, Stephanie takes a closer on Rebecca's face and makes a comment.

"Rebecca...were you crying?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes Rebs, it is very obvious."

"Who made you cry Rebecca?"

"Nobody Roger.  Well, my parents did. It's about what they told me last night. It's very personal as you can probably imagine. However, I'm fine trust me. I'm over it...kind of. As soon as we get on the freeway, I'll start talking okay?"

Roger and Stephanie look at each other and nods their heads.

"Okay Rebecca, whatever you say."

As they drive towards Arcadia Bay, Rebecca finally tells the two of them all about the visions she had in her room and what her adoptive parents told her, with a very casual tone of voice as if it didn't affect her at all, much to their surprise. Roger starts writing down notes on his laptop and listens carefully. Stephanie comforts Rebecca and reminds her how special, beautiful, and amazing she is. Roger also joins in and apologizes to Rebecca, on her real parent's behalf.

"So, we're going to Arcadia Bay to find your real parents?"

"No, at least not today. We don't have time for that. I'll deal with that later."

"Hmm ok, so we're going to that cliff with the lighthouse then right? That's why you brought that shovel?"

"Bingo Steph. If we do dig up something there then my visions are true and something very strange is going on. Guys, I trust you both. Please, _do not_ talk about this with anybody else. I don't want the attention of the media nor anybody else involved. At least, not yet. I know this is pretty much odd for me to say but please, if we do find something, let's keep it to ourselves.

"But Rebecca! If we do find something,it could be the answer to the storm! Nobody has ever explained how it was caused! Not even today's scientists! That tornado is one of the most mysterious things to have ever happen in Oregon! If those two girls you saw in your visions did exist and if they did bury something, it could be proof of the paranormal! We'll be famous! It will change the course of history and-"

"I _know_ that Roger but please do what I say. This is something personal after all. Please, don't mention it on your website or post about it on Reddit please."

Rebecca's rather sad and concerned facial expressions convinces Roger to agree to her requests.

"You sound so sure that we will find something in that cliff. Do you even know where to start digging?"

"Yes, I was shown a very specific spot in the vision. It's hard to describe but I will point it out once we get there."

"Alrighty then. Only 25 minutes until we get there guys."

"Thank you both for joining me in this personal quest guys."

"Anything for you Rebecca...I mean..anytime Rebecca."

"Sure thing Rebs. We're friends for life."

Rebecca smiles and enjoys the Oregon scenery around them, as they drive closer and closer to Arcadia Bay.


	7. Investigating the Bay

**Chapter 7**

* * *

 

As they arrive at Arcadia Bay and drive passed the "Another Great Day in Arcadia Bay" sign, Rebecca and her friends get a beautiful landscape view of the town. As soon as Rebecca notices the lighthouse, she develops a headache and starts to feel ill and anxious. For a fraction of a second, she sees a glimpse of the storm and the huge tornado at the ocean which forces her to shut her eyes for a moment. She slowly re-opens her eyes and no longer sees the storm or the tornado. Stephanie immediately notices that Rebecca is clearly disturbed and not comfortable.

"Hey, you're alright Rebecca?"

"I saw the damn tornado again...just for a moment. It's haunting me. I'm starting to feel anxious and just...odd. I don't know how to describe it. I don't like feeling like this, it's pretty uncomfortable. This is my home town yet I don't feel welcomed."

"Do you want to go back to Portland?"

"No, not at all. We're already here. However, I think I'm going to need some medicine for my headache and anxiety. Can you drop by next drug store we find please?"

"Of course Rebecca."

"I got you covered Rebecca. I'll pay for your medicine."

"I appreciate that Roger."

Roger points out a local Walgreens from his phone's maps app and they stop there to get Rebecca some OTC medicine. On their way back to the car, Stephanie points out a restaurant or a diner across the street.

"Hey are you guys hungry like I am? Last night, I was looking for places to visit at Arcadia Bay and that diner popped out. From the outside, it looks like an outdated 50's diner but it has really great reviews and I heard the food is great. I haven't eaten anything today. How about you guys?"

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit hungry as well. How about you Rebecca?"

"Well...I'm not really in the mood for eating right now. However, I suppose a coffee wouldn't hurt. If you guys want to go then that's fine by me. Maybe I'll feel better after drinking coffee."

'Great! Let's go!"

They head towards the Two Whales Diner, the town's favorite 50's style diner, and they walk inside. It is a bit crowded but they are able to find an empty booth to sit. As Rebecca walks towards the booth she observes the diner and gets depressing vibes from it. The townsfolk all look miserable, poor, and lifeless. It's like their souls has been sucked away from them. None of them are smiling. None of them look happy to be there.

_Man, none of these people here look happy at all. I don't get it. It's been so long since the tornado hit. It's a beautiful town...I mean...it's clearly remodeled...but it looks alright. I guess they haven't really recovered from it. Hmm...there's even a small memorial cabinet over there in the corner._

She goes to the cabinet and realizes the memorial is mainly dedicated to a woman of the name "Joyce Madsen" who died in the storm. There are pictures, a plaque, and some of the guest book writings inside the memorial.

_Hmm...looks like this Joyce Madsen was the waitress here before the tornado hit. Seems like her husband David and everybody else in town really loved her. Her husband and daughter both survived apparently. They may have not been together at the time of the tornado. That's unfortunate._

She rejoins her friends at the booth and only orders a coffee. Her friends both order packages and eggs. As her friends are enjoying their breakfast and she drinks her coffee, she observes the townspeople walking the streets and the ambiance of the town.

_This is a really depressing town. That tornado had a huge impact on them and completely changed their lives. I bet even the new citizens feel depressed as well. It's quite sad. I suppose I'm on the same boat as them. That tornado changed my life as well. However, for me...it changed my life for the better. My real parents were evil. There's some sketchy shit going on with that storm and I'm going to find out what it is!_

They finish their breakfast and Roger pays the bill and they exit the diner. Stephanie points out the lighthouse and asks Rebecca if that is their next destination which Rebecca nods in approval. As they walks towards Stephanie's car, Rebecca looks on her left and notices a homeless woman sitting on the ground right next to the diner's garbage dumpster. She doesn't know why but she is drawn towards the homeless woman. She immediately feels sorry for her and takes out a few dollars from her purse and decides to give it to her. Roger and Stephanie look confused but follow Rebecca anyways. She approaches the homeless lady who looks like she's in her 50's, has brown hair, probably Caucasian, smells horrible, but has a smile on her face.

"Hey...looks like you need some help. This isn't much but hopefully it's enough for you to buy yourself some breakfast."

The homeless lady looks at Rebecca and smiles.

"Thank you pretty young girl! You don't know how much I appreciate it! Most young people these days...they don't show respect or kindness anymore. "

"No problem ma'am. How long have you been in Arcadia Bay?"

"A very very long time young lady. Feels like forever. What's your name?"

"My name is Rebecca. So...you were here when the tornado came?"

"What a sweet name you have Rebecca. No, I wasn't present when it hit. Thankfully a pretty young girl like yourself warned me about it. Somehow...she knew something was going to happen that Friday. "

"W-what? A girl knew it was going to happen?"

"Yes...apparently she saw a vision of it and was kind enough to warn me about it. What a sweet young girl she was. She didn't treat me like trash, just like you. I haven't seen her since but I wish I could meet her again. She saved my life."

"But you're homeless now!"

"I was homeless before the storm sweetie. It didn't really affect me at all, however, it did affect everybody else. What a travesty. Arcadia Bay was already in a pretty bad shape before the storm hit and well, now it is even worse even though most of it has been rebuilt by now. I lost a lot of my friends in that storm. Including the former waitress of the diner, she used to give me free meals and treat me like an actual human being. She was my friend. She's gone now though. However, I still live in Arcadia Bay. Why? Because this is my home. I can't ever truly leave I guess. I'll die here and that's OK."

"I'm so sorry for your losses. Just by looking at people's faces here, I can  _feel_  their sadness and unhappiness...I'm very curious though...can you tell me more about the girl who warned you about the storm...Do you know her name?"

"Well...I can't recall her name...I don't think she gave me it...she was pretty, smart, short, had brown hair, and blue eyes. I don't recall anything else but I could tell she was not just an average girl. Why do you ask? "

_Brown hair? Short? The girl she is talking about is matching the description of the chestnut brown haired girl in my visions!_

_"_ Oh, just for curiosity. I'll leave you alone now. It was nice talking to you. Hopefully things will get better for you and everybody else in town."

"No, thank you Rebecca. Please take care of yourself. I can tell you're something special Rebecca. Your parents raised you well. "

"Thank you...ma'am."

They walk away and heads back to Stephanie's car. Rebecca looks back to wave goodbye to the homeless lady but notices that she's disappeared. Initially confused and shocked, Rebecca brushes it off by thinking that she might have entered the diner by the back door to grab some breakfast. They all get into the car and they drive towards the lighthouse.

"Hey, that was nice of you Rebecca, giving her money and talking to her for a bit. Totally unexpected though."

"Yeah, I do not know why but somehow I felt like I had to talk to her. There was something about her. I don't know what it is."

"She mentioned a brown haired short girl warning her about the storm. Could this be one of the girls you saw in your vision Rebs?"

"Yeah I was thinking about that Steph. The girl who buried the book or whatever matches the girl the homeless lady described. This is getting pretty strange and interesting fast."

"Dammit! I wish I could post this online! We'll be getting lots of hits and-"

"Roger...you promised..."

"Don't worry Rebecca, I won't post anything about it until you give me permission. I'm just saying. I can't wait to see if we do dig up something."

"Me neither Roger."

They arrived at the lighthouse and make their way up to the cliff, with Rebecca holding her shovel. Rebecca leads the way and looks for the exact spot where she saw the brown-haired girl bury her book or journal from the vision. During her search, she sees that there's a memorial monument dedicated to all the victims of the 2013 tornado just outside the lighthouse. Rebecca keeps searching in circles until she finds the exact spot. Exactly as she saw in her vision, whatever was buried, it was buried right next to a pile of rocks, near the edge of the cliff. She points out the spot and Roger offers to dig.

"That's the spot Roger! I know it is!"

"Alright everybody, stand back. Going to use my macho strength to dig!"

Roger starts to dig at the marked spot. Their arrival draws the attention of the local townsfolk and children who were playing around at the cliff. Before they know it, a huge group of people gathers around and watches Roger digging.

"Are you guys looking for a treasure?" A kid in the background asks.

"What are you guys doing?" The mother of the kid asks.

Rebecca and Stephanie assure them they are simply digging up a possible time capsule that's buried underneath but that just causes even more attention. Rebecca starts to feel disappointed as Roger has dug for several minutes but he hasn't found anything. She is about to give up until suddenly, Roger alerts the others that he has found something. Rebecca rushes over there and looks down the hole and locates a black, dirty,worn out, dried, and almost completely destroyed journal. As soon as she grabs the journal, she starts to hear unfamiliar voices all around her. She notices that she's been somehow been transported back to 2013. This time, the girls are not present, but the tornado is intense as ever. She looks at the journal and notices that it has completely changed in appearance. It now appears undamaged and realizes that it is covered in visible stickers and stamps. As soon as she opens the journal to read what it is inside, she feels an overwhelming energy or power coming from the journal and instantly drops it to the ground. Despite the journal being on the ground, she still feels the great power and energy within her body.

_What's going on? I feel so...energized...and amazing...what just happened? I don't look any different...nothing happened to me physically...yet...I feel different. I never felt like this before..._

_"_ REBECCA!"

Hearing Roger shouting her name snaps her out from the apparent vision. She looks down and sees that the journal is on the ground, however, back to its damaged state. Everybody else is looking at her with odd and confused looks. She picks up the journal and starts heading back to Stephanie's car, with her two friends following her. On the way towards their car, they get approached a police officer.

"Hey you three! Stop!"

The three of them turn around and see a police officer, in his 50's or 60's, standing around 5'9 tall, and with a thick black mustache, walking towards them. The three of them obliged and the police officer begins to ask questions.

"What was all the commotion back there? Why were you guys digging at the cliff?"

"Oh, nothing officer. Um...we just heard of a rumor that something special was buried there. We decided to check it out. We did find something but it was just an old beat up journal." Stephanie decides to answer and lead the conversation.

"I see. You three aren't from here right?"

"No officer. We're from Portland. We just decided to stop here for a quick visit. That's all."

"I knew it! Anyways, carry on then. Welcome to Arcadia Bay by the way. Hopefully you three aren't part of those internet nutjobs who think that aliens or something stupid like that were responsbile for that damn storm."

"Not at all! Thanks Officer..."

"Madsen."

"Thanks Officer Madsen."

_Madsen...that diner's waitress husband's last name was Madsen as well...same guy?_

Officer Madsen leaves them alone and they get inside their car and begin to drive away.

"What happened to you Rebecca? When you grabbed it, you totally blacked out but you stood still! What did you see?"

"Oh-I just the damn tornado again Roger. I had another vision apparently. They're getting stranger and stranger I tell you."

"You're okay then Rebecca?"

"Yes, actually I feel...amazing. This journal...is something else...there's definitely something weird going on. It's creeping me out."

"Open it Rebecca! Let's read what's inside!"

"No-well not yet anyway!"

"Why not? We found something! You were right Rebs! Your visions were true! Those two girls did exist! They buried it! They know something about the tornado! This is going to change everything!"

"Not yet Roger. Once we get home, then we can read what's inside. Together. OK?"

Stephanie and Roger look at each other confused but agree to hold off from reading the contents of the journal until later.

_Just by holding the journal, I can feel a presence within it. It's not exactly good. It's not exactly evil either. There's something in this journal. Why am I hesitating from opening it again? I guess I'm too scared of opening it. Why though? When I opened it up during the vision, I felt amazing. What is holding me back? Well, I can't hold back forever. I need to find out who the author of this journal is and find out who that girl was. I know she's out there somewhere. Maybe it's her presence or feelings that I'm feeling...maybe._


	8. A Morning Stroll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: As previously stated, some chapters will be told in Max/Chloe/other's character POV however the main focus will be on Rebecca. This is the first Pricefield chapter.

**Chapter 8**

* * *

As Rebecca and her friends head back to Portland, a 43 year-old woman by the name of Maxine Caulfield is walking at the park with her 10 year-old daughter, Rachel. Max, a well known successful photographer, is enjoying the morning stroll with her daughter at one of the biggest parks in Seattle. As soon as they reach the park's playground, she lets her daughter play alone while she sits on a bench to watch her. Max is overfilled with joy as she watches her beautiful daughter smiling and laughing while playing with the other children.

 _My beautiful Rachel...I love her so damn much. I can't believe she's ten years old already. Time really does fly by. I should know better than anybody else. It feels like it was only yesterday that I gave birth to her. Now she's 10 years old, William is heading out to college, and Chloe and I are in our 40's! Wowse-no Max. You're a little too old now to be saying stuff like that. All the hard work and suffering I went through to get this far was all worth it. My family is everything to me. I can't live without my children. I can't live without Chloe. Oh Chloe, it's been twenty five years since I made that ultimate choice. Some may say otherwise, but I know I made the correct decision and I couldn't be more_   _happier. I can't ask for anything more._

Max continues to watch Rachel play with the other children until she realizes that her nose has started to bleed and suddenly develops a migraine. She shrieks in pain and feels her head.

_Ugh...why is my nose bleeding so much? I haven't felt this kind of pain in over 20 years._

Out of nowhere, she starts seeing flashbacks of the tornado that destroyed Arcadia Bay. Somehow, she has been teleported back at the cliff with Chloe watching the event unfold before her very eyes. She starts to hear the voices of the people who perished in the storm, crying out to her.

"Max, why? Why did you do this to us?"

"Why didn't you rescue us?"

"Max, we didn't deserve this!"

"I thought we were friends Max! I thought you cared about us!"

Max closes her eyes and begins to shake her head violently, desperately trying to get rid of the voices and snap out from the flashbacks, until they finally stop. Max re-opens her eyes and sees a silhouette of a tall woman figure, with curly hair and an hourglass figure, standing on the spot of where she buried her journal. The faceless black silhouette turns around and points at Max. The figure starts speaking but with a robotic nonhuman voice.

"You're going to pay for this Max Caulfield! You can't hide forever!"

Max turns away from the figure and feels her heart pounding as anxiety and fear overwhelms her.

_This can't be happening! What is happening to me? Oh fuck, not again. Not after all these years...no please.._

"MOMMY! MOMMY! ARE YOU OK?"

"W-what? Rachel?!"

Max snaps out from her vision or nightmare and looks down and sees her daughter holding her hand and looking worried. She looks around and realizes that she's back at the park with Rachel. She catches her breath and hugs Rachel.

"Mommy...why were you acting so weird? I was scared!"

"Oh...it was nothing sweetie. Just a bad dream I was having. That's all."

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, much better Rachel. I think we better head back home though. Mommy needs to rest a bit and call your other mother."

"Aww...I wanted to play a little longer..."

"Don't worry Rachel, the playground isn't going anywhere. Your friends won't either. I promise, next time we come, you can stay as long as you want!"

"You mean it!?"

"Absolutely!"

"Thanks mommy, you're the best!"

Rachel hugs her mother again and they head back home. During the trip back, Max decides to call her wife, Chloe Caulfield, CEO of the largest healthcare company in the state of Washington. Initially working as a car mechanic, Chloe went on to study business management and healthcare management and through many years of hard work and stress, she has climbed to the very top.

Chloe answers Max's call almost instantly.

"Hey Max! What's up?"

"Hey Chloe...umm...I need to talk to you about something very important."

"Sure, what is it?"

"You're not busy right?"

"I'm always busy girl. I have shitload of meetings and a company to run. However, I always have time for you Miss Caulfield."

"Okay Chloe...umm...it's happening again..."

"What's happening again? Oh crap, don't tell me..."

"Yes, Chloe. My nightmares and visions are coming back."

"No freaking way! How long has it been? I thought you conquered them!"

"It's been years since the last one but I just experienced one today when I was at the park with Rachel. I thought so too...but...I guess not. Dammit. This new one though was perhaps the scariest and alarming of them all!"

"What? How?"

"I'll explain later. I really need to talk to you in person."

"Don't worry Max, I have your back. We been though this before and we can do it again! I'll head down during my lunch hour. I'll see you guys later."

"Thank you Chloe...I love you."

"I love you too Max."

Max smiles and hangs up the phone.

_Oh Chloe, you are always there for me. Just hearing those magic words coming from your mouth...they never get old. They make me feel so loved..._

Max lays down on the couch and joins her daughter watching TV in the living room, waiting for Chloe to arrive.


	9. Grim Reminders

**Chapter 9**

* * *

As Max is watching TV with Rachel and holding her tightly, she has not stopped thinking about the nightmare-like experience she had in the park. It's been around 10 years since she last had one. After making the biggest decision of her life, choosing the love of her life over her home town, Max struggled for a while-mentally wise. She suffered through countless nightmares, visions, and strange experiences the following years after the storm, it almost broke her apart. However, there was one person Max can count on and can keep her sane, that was Chloe Price. Chloe had her methods of helping Max through her troubles, including drugs, love making, and mock therapy sessions. However, it was simply Chloe's presence and love that worked out the most. It's not like Max had much of a choice, if she sought professional help, she feared she would be locked up in a mental hospital just like Sarah Connor from the Terminator.

Grim reminders of the tornado haunted Max and severely affected her social, professional, and love life. The first years of their relationship were brutal and depressing. Hearing strange voices and nightmares aside, Max and Chloe suffered through real world problems such as money, school, housing, and their careers. Afraid of questioning, confrontation, and nonacceptance, Max and Chloe cut all ties to their past and family, choosing to live "off the grid" for a while. They even considered changing their names at one point but ultimately decided not to. Both of them wrote a farewell letter to their families and wished them well and told them they were fine and instructed them not to search for them. After several years of working dead end jobs and going through community college and living in a small, cheap, rundown apartment in another small town, Max and Chloe finally got their lives back in track. Max started to put her photography work out there and received praise and recognition and Chloe started to work as an intern in a healthcare management company, in which she slowly but surely climbed to the very top of the ladder. The rest is history, after years of success, they decided to give birth to their first child, a boy named William, get married, and reunite with their families. Max became a world class famous photographer, winning many festival awards, and Chloe became the CEO of the healthcare company. Rachel, her daughter, came into the picture as well and it was happily ever after for Max, until today.

_Why? Oh why? After all this time...dammit! Why do I get the feeling that somebody's after me? I feel like my life is about to change again. I don't like it at all. S-stop it Max! You have nothing to worry about. You have Chloe. You have your children. You have protection. There's nothing in this universe that can stop us!_

Rachel, concerned with how tightly her mother is holding her, turns to her and asks her if she's okay.

"I'm okay honey, really. Don't worry about me."

"You look so...sad...and scared..."

"It's nothing sweetie. Just watch TV. I just need to talk to your other mother when she comes, which should be any minute now."

"Okay mommy."

They continue to watch tv until Chloe arrives at their 4 story house. Rachel, filled with excitement, runs immediately to Chloe and gives her a hug which Chloe returns. Chloe picks up Rachel and approaches Max. Chloe, the 44 year old CEO, who now has a short pixie hairstyle and wears business suits almost all the time, goes to Max and gives her a kiss on the month. Although years of smoking has definitely taken a toll on Chloe's facial characteristics, Max still considers her beautiful as ever and her smile always cheers Max up whenever she feel upset.

"Rachel, I need to talk to Max privately. Go upstairs and watch tv in your room. Close your door please. "

"Okay Chloe mommy."

Rachel grabs her doll from the living room's couch and goes to her room upstairs and closes the door.

Chloe grabs Max's right hand and lead her to the kitchen table for a talk.

"Okay Max, tell me about your vision or nightmare you had. You said that it was the worst one you ever had?"

"Yes, it was Chloe. It felt so real. I know I always said that but this time, I really mean it. It was so surreal and so...direct. It wasn't so much of a vision, it was more like a warning or a threat. I saw this...female figure..standing over the spot where I buried my journal and evidence...you know the spot at the light house?"

"Yes, of course I remember that. I told you to do that after you made that choice."

"Right. Anyways, that figure turned around and told me that I couldn't hide anymore and that I was going to pay for what I did. Then I heard familiar voices basically begging for me to help them and calling me out. I really really felt horrible and I didn't know what to do so I called you and well.."

"Now I'm here Max. Don't worry. You're safe."

Chloe's reassuring smile and her warm soft touch on her hands calms down Max.

"Don't fall for any of that shit Max. Remember, you made the correct logical choice. You didn't jump into conclusions or tampered with time anymore. That storm had to happened. That's the way I see it. I know you do too. Why did it need to happened? Well, I don't know. Nothing major came after it. There was no more chaos. It was confined to Arcadia Bay only. Nobody could ever prove that letting me die in the school's bathroom would have magically poof that storm away. That would require a lot of assumptions and more time-travel fuckery and for what? Remember what you told me outside the vortex club party, "I can't keep fixing shit if all I'm going to do is keep breaking it over and over again.". Under those circumstances, nobody can ever truly blame you for making that decision. The only choice...was not to play with your powers anymore, especially not with a power that you never asked for in the first place. You were meant to save me. Everything you see here, including our children, and including  _us_  was meant to happen. Anybody who dare says otherwise, they will get to know the real Chloe Pric-I mean Caulfield. "

"Oh Chloe...thank you..."

They get up from sitting, hug each other, and kiss for a while. When they stop kissing, Max refuses to let go of Chloe and starts to shed a tear.

"What's wrong Max? Sorry, I had Taco Bell for lunch. I know you don't like it but it can't be that bad!"

"No-don't be silly. It's not that...but...I just have this overwhelming feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Like what?"

"Like...everything here will go away. That we will break apart. Or that something terrible is going to happen to William or Rachel."

" _NOTHING_  is going to happen Max. Don't worry. Not after everything we went through to get this far. I'll make sure of that! I'll do anything to protect you and the kids. I know you will do the same thing. Nobody can beat us Max. You're Max fucking Caulfield. TIME FUCKING WARRIOR! You can erase anybody from existence if they ever tried to fuck with us. Don't you forget it!"

Chloe's words of encouragement, compliments, and confidence immediately cheers Max up but there is one lingering thought in Max's mind. The journal she buried at the cliff.

"Thank you Chloe...you always know how to cheer me up!"

"Who else knows you better than me?"

"You're right. We can take on anybody and any obstacle that is put in front of us. We been through hell and back. Nothing can faze us!"

"That's the spirit Max! Seeing you this fire up always puts in that mood...if you know what I mean..."

"Oh Chloe...but there is something that is just bothering me about all of this."

"What is it?"

"The journal Chloe. What if...somebody finds it?"

"Who the hell would dig there? They would need to know the exact spot and everything. That's impossible!"

"But what if Chloe?"

"It's not going to happen Max. Relax."

"Are you sure?"

"Hella sure"

Max, completely trusting Chloe's words and smile, gives her yet another hug and they continue to hug until Chloe's lunch hour is over. Little do they realize that Rachel got out of the room and listened to part of their conversation. Rachel, however, doesn't interrupt her two mothers hugging and goes back to her room to play with her doll and toys.

* * *

At the same time, Rebecca Styles and her friends have just arrived back in Portland and have reached Stephanie's house.

"Okay guys, my parents are not home right now. If you guys want, we can investigate the journal in my room since we're all here already."

"That's no problem with me. How about you Rebecca?"

"I-I actually wanted to read it and investigate in my place."

"We're already at my house Rebecca. What's the difference? Well, I mean my room is bigger and-

"I get it Steph. Fine. Your room it is."

"Alright, can't wait to see what's inside that dirty old journal."

"Me neither. This is going to be interesting!"

The three of them leave the car and make their way to Stephanie's room. Rebecca puts the journal on Stephanie's computer and study desk but hesitates to open it up.

_Dammit. Why am I scared of this thing? I feel like it's cursed or something. C'mon, this isn't Harry Potter. Open it up and read what's inside. What's the worst thing that can happen?_


	10. Detective Styles

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Stephanie and Roger watch Rebecca endlessly staring at the old busted journal, looking afraid to come near it or touch it.

"What's wrong Rebecca?" Stephanie asks.

"I just have a bad feeling about this."

"C'mon Rebs, don't tell me you're afraid of looking what's inside. It's just a journal! We drove several hours for this!"

"I know it is just a journal Steph, but I'm just getting strange vibes from it. How about you Roger?"

"I don't feel anything. All I see is a dirty old journal."

"I'll open it and read what's inside then Rebs. Step back."

"NO! You can't!"

Stephanie was about to grab the journal from her desk until Rebecca stops her by grabbing her arm.

"Jesus Rebs, you are acting so strange! Let go of me!"

Rebecca hesitates but does let go of Stephanie after realizing that she's acting paranoid. She sits with Roger on Stephanie's bed as Stephanie starts to open the journal and wiggles it in front of them.

"See? Nothing happened Rebs! Oh what's this?"

They notice several things dropping from the journal. Stephanie picks them up and puts them on her computer desk. They begin to look at them and realize they are polaroid pictures of people,animals, drawings, a girl pointing a gun at the sky, a red truck, and a shot of the tornado. They are all in horrible condition just like the journal is. Rebecca takes a good look at each picture as Stephanie and Roger start looking what else they can find inside the journal. Rebecca pays more attention to the photos of the people and the girl shooting the gun at the sky. One of the photos is of a blond haired girl, tied in a bun, smiling. Although the girl is smiling, Rebecca can feel emotions of depression and sadness just by looking at the photo. The other photo is of another pretty blond girl, wearing a blue feather earring. Rebecca is unable to feel any emotion from this girl's photo, it's almost like she is getting blocked from feeling anything. She puts that photo aside and examines another portrait photo, this time of a teenage boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. She feels mixed emotions of sadness, anger, and loneliness from the boy's photo.

"Man! Huge bummer! The journal is almost completely destroyed. I can only make out a few passages here and there. There's more pictures, drawings, and stamps inside it. Whoever the author was, must have been a photographer or something like that. This is a diary as well. Something something saving Kate Marsh...something something Seattle...something something Prescotts. Chloe Price...haven't talked to each other in five years..blah blah blah..." Stephanie starts to read out loud some of the diary entries that are legible but the name of "Chloe Price" gets Rebecca attention and makes her cut off Stephanie.

"Chloe Price!?" Rebecca turns around and questions Stephanie.

"Yes, Chloe Price. Looks like the person who wrote this knows her or something. Do you know who this Chloe Price is?"

"I saw her name at the diner. She's the daughter of the former waitress of the diner! She survived the storm! Dig deeper Steph! Tell me if you find anything else. Roger! Start looking up some of the names you find in the diary on your laptop and give me any other photo you find!"

"Sure thing Rebecca!"

"On it Rebs!"

As Stephanie rips the most legible pages from the journal and Roger looks up some of the names from the diary, Rebecca keeps examining the photos that have survived.

_This is surreal. My visions were true. Those two girls really existed. They buried this. The homeless woman perfectly described one of the two girls. This photo...of the girl pointing a gun at the sky...looks similar to the blue haired girl I saw in my visions. This must be the other girl! They both have blue hair! Holy shit! I must know the names of these two girls! Could they be witches or some sort of superhumans with superpowers? I must put the pieces together! If these two girls are the ones that caused that storm...they must pay for their actions._

_"_ Okay Rebecca, I first looked up Chloe Price but came up with almost no results. She's on the list of known survivors of the storm but that's about it. A few links here and there but nothing extensive. No pictures or anything sorry."

"Damn! Chloe Price...Chloe Price...let's come back to her...but keep looking up more names Roger!

"Yeah, I already looked up several other names already. I think the most interesting name is Prescott, well the Prescott family in general."

"Prescotts? What about them?"

"At the time of the storm, they were the most powerful and richest family in Arcadia Bay. They practically owned the city and its economy. They were not very good people going by what people have wrote about them online. Looks like a lot of people truly hated them. After the storm though, the Prescotts completely went bankrupt and lost a lot of their family members. There's another interesting story about the Prescotts as well, involving a missing girl named Rachel Amber."

"Rachel Amber?"

"Yes, here is a picture of her. She was a very beautiful girl...just like you Rebecca. I've read about her...there's something about her that just makes me want to know more about her.

Roger shows a picture of Rachel Amber to Rebecca and realizes that she's the same girl from one of the photos from the buried journal. Rebecca retrieves the photo from the desk and shows it to Roger.

"Wow. Same girl. The person who the journal belongs to must have known Rachel."

"Tell me more about this Rachel Amber. You're right. There's something about her...that intrigues you."

As Roger starts explaining more about Rachel's case, Rebecca stares at Rachel's photo.

"Well, going by comments and articles online, Rachel Amber was a very smart, charming, and adventurous friendly girl. Everybody loved her. However, one day she just went missing and several months later, her body was found buried in the town's junkyard. A former well-known photographer named Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott were the ones behind her kidnapping and death. Nathan Prescott's father, Sean Prescott, was somewhat linked to her death as well. Sean Prescott survived the storm as well but due to the investigations and the economic collapse caused by the storm, Sean Prescott basically gave up and hasn't been seen and heard from since. Shame about Rachel Amber though, I wonder what made that Jefferson guy and the almighty Prescott family commit the act of killing her? A lot of things happened at Arcadia Bay on that week of the storm. It's really unbelievable."

_So you're dead Rachel Amber. Maybe that explains why I can't sense or feel anything from your photo. What connection do you have to those two girls I wonder..._

"Anything more about Rachel?"

"Nothing more than that Rebecca. Oh, something interesting. Chloe Price is linked to her. There's an old article about a blue haired chick who kept putting up missing person posters all over Arcadia Bay. Those posters were all about Rachel Amber. This Chloe Price never gave up looking for her even after the cops and the FBI couldn't find her. They were probably very good friends...or maybe something more. Nothing else I can find about her or Chloe Price unfortunately."

"We're getting warmer and warmer Roger, I can feel it! Steph, have you finished looking through the diary yet?"

"Almost done Rebs. Don't get too excited. There's not a lot of reading material that survived after all these years being buried but let me gather them up."

"Good work Steph. Let's crack this case wide open! So Roger...any other names of interest?"

"Sadly no Rebecca. Mostly Prescott stuff. Kristine Prescott took over the family's industries and now completely runs it. However, unlike her father and previous generations, Kristine Prescott actually is pretty nice and giving. She helped Arcadia Bay recover and rebuild after the storm. She really turned things around. So that's good I guess...there's another girl by the name of Kate Marsh if you're interested. Her name is also on the list of known survivors. There's a few articles of her online, looks like she is or was a very religious girl. A very friendly and caring girl from all accounts. She's gorgeous as well. Hmm, there's a newspaper article of her attempted suicide.

"Attempted suicide?" Rebecca curiously asks.

"Yes, here let me read the article: 'Blackwell Student Attempts Suicide on Campus. A student at the prestigious Blackwell Academy almost jumped from the roof of a campus dormitory today-with most of the student and faculty as startled witness. Authorities confirmed that the student, Kate Marsh, 18, has been troubled but information is scarce at this time. Dozens of cell phones recorded the vent, which ended with an unidentified student talking Marsh down in safety.' Looks like Kate Marsh had a viral video where she was acting inappropriately in a party and she got bullied by her peers. The bullying must have been pretty bad to make her consider suicide. I hate bullies. I wonder who managed to talk her down. Whoever that person was, she's a real hero. Hmm, there's still a working video about Kate Marsh's rescue."

"Really? Let me see!"

Roger plays the short 30 second video. They see Kate Marsh exiting out from the school building, with a chestnut brown haired girl with her arm around Kate. Rebecca immediately recognizes the girl escorting Kate.

"IT"S HER!" Rebecca shouts as she points at the laptop's screen.

"Her? Wait? What?" Roger immediately asks, confused.

"What are you talking about Rebecca? Who's her?" Stephanie walks from behind and watches the video then looks at Rebecca.

"That's the short brown haired girl I saw in my visions! That's her! She's the one who buried the journal! She's the one who took all these pictures. She's the author of the diary!"

"Are you sure Rebecca?"

"Absolutely sure! Her hair and height is a dead give away. Roger! Look up her identity! Her name must be somewhere online!"

_That's her! I know it is! She saved a girl from jumping from a roof? Who is this mysterious person?_

"Rebecca...I found out who it is..but I can't believe it! Kate Marsh has a testimony online about her rescue and suicide prevention The name of the person who saved her...is the world famous photographer Maxine Caulfield!"

**CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 11**


	11. A Terrible Mistake

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Maxine Caulfield!? Wait..who?"

Rebecca, unfamiliar with the photography world, doesn't recognize the name Maxine Caulfield but Roger seems to know who she is.

"Maxine Caulfield! One of the most well-known photographers in the world! I think she's retired now but she was pretty big years ago. I can't believe she's the one who saved Kate Marsh from committing suicide! She's one of the girls in your visions Rebecca... well according to you. I did see a 'Maxine Caulfield' on the list of survivors but I thought it was a different person . What does she have to do with that storm though? I wonder." Roger puts a finger on his chin and thinks to himself.

"Rebecca, are you really sure that brown hair girl in your nightmares looks like and  _is_  Maxine Caulfield?"

"No question about it Steph. Can you tell me more about her Roger? Other than that she's a photographer?"

"Of course Rebs. Well, according to her wikipedia and her website, she was born in Arcadia Bay and attended Blackwell Academy and studied photography. After the storm though, it destroyed the school and she was forced to move somewhere else without any money and resources. She lost everything in the storm except for a few friends and her lifelong partner Chloe Price. Oh there's that name again! After years of working shitty jobs and attending community college and all, she finally got success in the field of photography ,her lifelong passion. She later married her partner Chloe Price and now reside in Seattle, Washington. Despite being a public figure, she's free from controversy and usually keeps to herself. She declines almost any interview and has no social media accounts. So other than telling you about her photography success, there's not much about her online. She's rather a shy person, only going out in public when she has to.

_Chloe Price and Maxine Caulfield...the names of the two girls. Maxine is the author of this journal and took these photos. Chloe Price...is the daughter of the diner waitress who perished in the storm. She's the one with blue hair. Alright Rebecca, you now know their identities. What are you doing to do about it?_

"Roger...so they live in Seattle?"

"Currently yes. So...Rebecca..what are we going to do about this? Maxine Caulfield is clearly the author of the diary. All those photos we found. She took them. It makes complete sense. I'm looking up miss Chloe Price under Chloe Caulfield and looks like she's some sort of executive in a healthcare company in Seattle. They are a very pretty successful couple."

"I'm not sure yet Roger. I mean...what can I do? Any ideas? Steph?"

"I have no idea Rebs. This is all pretty strange. I believe it's your call. You're the one with the visions after all."

"I agree with Stephanie. I don't have much of an input either. You're in charge of what to do about this discovery. You can count on us for support though!"

"Thank you guys. Yeah, I'm afraid that it's truly up to me to decide what to do. However, I'm as clueless as you two are. I mean...I can't just report them to the police. On what evidence? No, there must be a better way to approach this. Listen guys, you better promise me that you won't tell ANYONE about this. Please do not share this with anybody else unless I approve it! We don't know who we're dealing with. They could be...skinwalkers, witches, monsters, aliens, or some superhuman people. I don't know. There is something about them that is strange. Please! I know I'm acting paranoid but...for our safety...keep this to ourselves. Ok? Please!?"

Stephanie and Roger nod their heads in approval and they give each other fist bumps.

"You can count on me Rebs."

"Same here. This is our going to be our secret. You're right...we might be dealing with people with voodoo magic or something. Take your time Rebecca...I'll see what else I can dig up on the internet about all of this."

"Thank you Roger. Steph, can I have all the readable diary entries? I want to take them home and go over them."

"Sure thing. Are you leaving now Rebs? We're still suppose to be in school right now you know."

"No worries, my parents aren't going to care that I ditched school and I do just want to go back to my room and think about all of this. It's been a long day. I need some time to myself because graduation is tomorrow and our trip to Reno is as well. "

"I completely forgotten about going to Reno! Thanks for reminding me! I still have to pack and go out shopping! Sorry Roger but you can't stay here. Need to go out to get some things ready before our trip."

"Steph the procrastinator! Yeah right! The real reason you want me to leave is so you can chat with your internet boyfriend! " Roger jokingly says.

"Internet boyfriend?" Rebecca curiously asks.

"Yeah, didn't Steph tell you? She met a guy a month ago from Seattle online. He's also our age and is going to U-Dub as well!"

"Shut up Roger!" Stephanie blushes and pinches Roger.

"So it's true? Hey Steph! Who's he? What's his name? Is he really your 'internet' boyfriend?"

"Sorry Rebs, I wanted it to be a surprise. Thanks to Mr. Nosey here, the surprise is ruined. Anyways, no we're not officially dating or anything. I do...like...him...he seems to be my type. I can talk to him for hours...he's so down to earth! He's going to U-Dub since he lives in Seattle. We're suppose to meet on the first day of college. I honestly can't wait! He seems to be into me as well...His name is William!"

"That's great Steph! I'm happy for you. I didn't know you were the type of girl who would be into online dating...but then again...we both don't have any interest in any guy from our school. Maybe that's why I have been single for a while...hey Steph is he hot?"

"He's finneeeee Rebs."

"Can I see a picture of him?"

"Sure! Sorry Roger...girl talk."

"Yeah. Whatever. See you guys. Take care Rebecca."

Roger, looking visibly upset, walks out from Stephanie's house and drives off. Meanwhile, Stephanie shows a seflie picture of William to Rebecca. He is a tall, blue-eyed, blonde guy with an athletic built. Rebecca nods in approval.

"You weren't kidding...he is hot! Damn! He plays football? He's not a jock right?"

"No way! I wouldn't fall for a jock you know that! Yes, he plays football but he's not an asshole! He is so full of life Rebs...it's amazing. He's sweet and gentle but at the same tough and brave when he needs to be. Well...so far at least. He didn't call it a date...but we are going to meet on the first of college. Hopefully, he's great as he looks and acts online. I already said this but I can't wait to meet him!"

"You better introduce him to me once you guys meet!"

"Of course I will. Don't you dare try to steal him away from me Rebecca! Just like when you stole Tyler Pyster from me in the 6th grade!" Stephanie points at Rebecca in a joking matter. Both of them share a laugh.

"You still haven't forgotten about Tyler? I didn't care for him at all. I didn't even try. I friendzone'd him immediately. What did you see in him again?"

"He was cute...at least I thought so."

"Right. No worries Steph. I would  _never_  do something like that to my best friend. No way."

"I know you wouldn't Rebs."

Rebecca gathers everything and prepares to leave. Stephanie turns on her computer and opens up skype.

_Hmm...I guess Roger was right. She's really into this guy. She's one lucky girl I must admit. I better find a guy like that when I go to college. All this Arcadia Bay stuff has really distracted me from graduation, the Reno trip, and of course college. Damn, now that I really think about it... This is a lot of things to worry about for a girl my age. I think I should really put the Arcadia Bay stuff aside...at least for now. Because the real world isn't going to stop just because of my personal problems. I have a lot of real life shit to worry about._

"See you in Graduation Steph!"

"See you Rebecca. Text me if you need anything. Relax and chill for today. Big day tomorrow. Take care!"

"Thank you!"

As Rebecca is about to get leave Stephanie's room, she receives a phone call from an unknown number. She answers it immediately, thinking it might be from her school or from a local pet shop she applied for a part-time job.

"Hello?"

A distorted and monstrous voice starts to speak.

"You have done a terrible mistake Rebecca. A terrible mistake!"

"W-what? Who's this!? Hello?!"

"Death awaits you Rebecca. You shouldn't have gone there...your...dear...parents are-"

The phone call gets disconnected. Rebecca is shaking from fear and begins to feel empty and heartbroken. Stephanie notices and approaches Rebecca and puts her arm over Rebecca.

"What's wrong Rebs? Who was it?"

"I-I-I don't know Steph! It was an unknown number. It was a fucking scary man's voice telling me I did a terrible mistake and something about my parents. He knew my name!"

"What the hell? That's creepy as fuck! It's probably a prank caller or something. Don't act so-"

Rebecca cuts her off and pushes Stephanie aside.

"I'm sorry, but it was so damn...scary! I have to go home now! I feel something terrible has happened to my parents! I can't sense their presence or feelings..."

"Call your parents! Check on them!"

Rebecca calls her parents in a panic but neither of them pick up after multiple attempts.

"There's something wrong. They should be home right now. They almost always pick up unless their at work or traveling. I have to go Steph! NOW!"

"Right! Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, that's not necessary! I'll tell you what happened, if anything! Goodbye!"

Rebecca sprints from the house and drives off towards her house, driving nearly 80 MPH and passing through red lights. On her way, she gets a call back from her mother. Immediately relieved, she pulls over and picks up the call. However, she is quickly overwhelmed by fear and anxiety again.

"Hello! Mom! Are you guys ok?"

"Hello m'am...is this Rebecca Styles? Daughter of Teresa Styles and George Styles?"

It is not her mother. It is a middle age man's voice.

"WHO IS THIS!? WHERE"S MY MOM!? WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"This is Officer James of the Portland Police Bureau. Something terrible has happened to your parents. I would recommend coming home as soon as possible. I'm so terribly sorry."

Rebecca drops her phone in shock and speeds off towards her home, fearing the worst.


	12. The Polaroid Picture

**Chapter 12**

* * *

 

As Rebecca rushes to her house, she sees a trail of heavy black smoke coming from her neighborhood. She quickly arrives at her neighborhood only to find the whole street blocked by cop cars, yellow tape, several firetrucks, and an ambulance. She sees her house engulfed in dark red flames and immediately parks her car and runs towards her house. She is stopped by one of the police officers as she tries to bypass the yellow tape. She grabs the officer by his shirt and starts to yell at him.

"LET ME IN! LET ME IN! THAT'S MY HOUSE! LET ME IN NOW!"

"Oh, are you Miss Rebecca Styles?"

"YES! A POLICE OFFICER CALLED ME! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY PARENTS!? MY HOUSE IS IN FLAMES! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED PLEASE!"

Rebecca stares right at the officer's eyes and pulls him toward her with force. Tears are flowing down her desperate eyes.

"Miss..Styles...both of your parents are dead. They were dead on arrival. Your house is practically destroyed. I'm so sorry."

Rebecca is beyond shocked and is in complete denial.

"NO! PLEASE! THAT CAN'T BE! THERE IS NO WAY! NO WAY! PLEASE TELL ME THAT'S NOT TRUE! PLEASE!"

"I'm sorry Miss Styles. They're dead. There was nothing we could've done to save them. They were killed."

"Nooooooooo...please god...noooooo...WHO KILLED THEM!? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"We don't know that yet Miss Styles. Their throats were slit. There was no forced entry. We got a 911 call from inside the house. It was a distorted voice saying that something terrible has happened. He or she hanged up immediately afterwards. I was the one who first reported to the scene and found your parents bodies in the living room. I found nothing else in your house out of place or out of the ordinary. There was no sign of an intrusion or burglary. There was nobody else inside. We removed their bodies from the house and began our investigation, then suddenly the house abruptly caught on fire. We have no idea how. We been battling the flames for a while but they haven't subsided. Once again, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll tell the homicide team that you have arrived. I know this is going very tough for you but we need to ask you some questions. You might have information that will help us in our investigation."

The officer forcibly removes Rebecca's hold on him and walks to talk to the homicide detectives. Rebecca, overwhelmed by sorrow, and drops to her knees and cries.

_Mom...Dad...I can't believe you're gone. I-I can't believe it! Why? Who could hurt or kill them? Why? I'm now...an orphan...again...and homeless. What am I going to do? What is going to happened now? Who could've done this? Why God? Why?_

As Rebecca continues to cry by herself, another officer approaches her. He's a tall average built black man in his 40's or 50's dressed like a FBI agent from a movie or crime tv show.

"Hello there Rebecca. I'm Lead Homicide Detective Carter. I'm...deeply sorry for what happened to your parents. My sincerest apologies. I would like you to come with me to headquarters for some questioning. I fully understand your situation right now. However, I will greatly appreciate your corporation at this time. Now that the crime scene has literally been destroyed, I need all the help I can get to catch the ones responsible for this terrible crime."

Rebecca gets up and forcibly grabs him by his tie.

"Where are my parents? I want to see THEM!"

"You can see your parents bodies later...we just sent them to the coroner for investigation. I know you're very upset right now but please...let go of me."

"I want to see them NOW!"

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that right now! You have to understand..."

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! MY PARENTS JUST DIED! MY HOUSE IS GONE! I'M NOW A HOMELESS ORPHAN! I WANT TO SEE MY PARENTS. PLEASE! PLEASE! TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!"

Rebecca desperately pounds on the detective's chest in order to persuade him to see her parents bodies and for more information.

"Listen Rebecca. Please stop attacking me. All we know at this point is that the suspect called us to report the crime then fled the scene. Based on the officer's testimony, there was no visible forced entry. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was touched. Your parents throats were slit. Although we declared your house safe to enter, the house somehow caught on fire. The only possible lead we have at this point, aside from the phone call, is that an officer found this near the front door. It is a Polaroid picture of a butterfly. Of course, this could mean absolutely nothing. That's why we need you to come downtown for questioning. "

He hands over Rebecca the butterfly picture, a picture she has never seen before. Her parents were never into photography and to her knowledge, never owned a Polaroid camera. She never owned one either. Even in old family albums, none of the pictures were on Polaroid. As she keeps looking at it, she immediately makes a connection.

_Where have I seen Poloroid photos recently? The journal...by Maxine Caulfield. The Blue butterfly...looks exactly like the one I saw at school. The butterfly that led me to Arcadia Bay and discovering secrets about myself. Could it be? Did...Maxine Caulfield...had something to do with this?_

Her feelings of sorrow and sadness have now turned into hatred and bloodlust. She takes off running towards her car, taking the butterfly photo with her. She can hear the detective running after her and asking questions such as "Where are you going? What are you doing? Rebecca! We need to talk to you! Get back here!". However, she ignores him and drives off. Speeding through red lights, she drives erratically through the streets of Portland and goes on Highway 26.

_This can't be just a coincidence. It all points to Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price. They...murdered me parents somehow. I don't know who the hell I'm dealing with but I don't give a flying fuck. I'm going after them. They destroyed my hometown and took away my parents. Thanks to them...I'm all alone in the world. I'm homeless. They ruined my life. I don't care how long it takes me...I'm going to Seattle...and make them pay!_

As she speeds through Highway 26 on route to Seattle, memories of her parents flows through her conflicted mind. Their loving words of encouragement echo in her head. She starts to remember random memories of her parents including her first day of elementary school, the day she accidentally flushed away her dad's keys down the toilet, the bedtime stories and poems her mother read to her when she was a child, their trips to Mount Hood, and her sweet 16 party they planned for her. She pulls over the road and cries her heart out while resting her head on the steering wheel.

_Mom...Dad...please...don't leave me...I love you so much...please..._

Now overwhelmed by loneliness and sorrow again, she decides to go on the opposite direction of Highway 26 and head towards Mount Hood, where she and her parents spent a lot of wonderful weekends there. On her way there, she receives a lot of phone calls but chooses not to answer any of them. Despite being a two hour drive, she doesn't feel any of it. Her mind is completely fixed on memories of her parents. When she arrives at Mount Hood National Forest, she heads towards Timothy Lake, her parents favorite spot at the forest. They always camped there because of the beautiful scenery. She arrives at Timothy Lake and walks towards the actual lake. She sees people hanging out, having a great time, and a family having a picnic. People are kayaking at the lake as well,which is something else she did with her parents. She begins to cry even more and rests her head on a tree.

As she's crying and feeling alone in the world, she observes the beautiful landscape view of the lake and Mt. Hood in front of her. For a moment, she feels relieved and hopeful but that soon goes away once she experiences a migraine. She groans in pain and holds her head. As the migraine worsens, she enters a dream-like world or vision. She realizes that she's at her house and sees her parents hanging out in the living room, going over old family photos. She immediately goes towards them to hug them but before she can do so, she hears them screaming in fear. Before she realizes what happened, she sees both of her parents dead. Their throats have been slit open just like how the Police told her. She wants to scream and yell for help but as hard as she tries, she can't even hear herself scream. She can't even think or process thoughts. She can't do anything or control her own body. In the corner of her eyes, she sees a black shadow or figure behind her but when she instinctively turns around, there's nothing there. However, she sees the black figure or silhouette again by the front door, about to exit. The figure turns around and waves goodbye to Rebecca. It suddenly disappears as if it teleported away. However before it disappeared, Rebecca saw a glimspe of the figure's face. In a fraction of a second, she saw the face of the murderer. It was a teenage girl with freckles, blue eyes, and had brown haired. It was Maxine Caulfield. The same girl in her visions. The same girl who wrote the journal. The same girl tied to the storm that destroyed her home town.

Rebecca snaps out from the vision or nightmare and the feelings of hatred and anger return. No longer thinking about the great memories she had with her parents, her mind is fueled with rage. She curses out Maxine Caulfield's name aloud and starts punching the tree next to her. She sees a raven flying away from the tree, who was watching her. She grabs rocks from the ground and throws them at the lake. She kicks down a nearby trashcan and grabs an empty beer bottle and throws it against another tree, breaking it. She breaks down in tears.

_What did I do to deserve this? Why me? What did I do?...Maxine Caulfield...I swear...I'm going to get you. I'm going to hurt you. I'm going to make you pay. I don't care how long it takes me to find you. I'm going after you...I'm going to ruin your life just like you ruined mine...you hear me?_

"YOU HEAR ME MAXINE CAULFIELD!? I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

She closes her eyes and screams at top of her lungs and fueled by overwhelming hatred, desperation, frustration, and sadness, she punches the ground. The ground starts to shake violently which makes her re-open her eyes. She immediately realizes that the ground have been cracked open and hears the background screams and voices from the people at the lake's campgrounds running away in fear. She looks around and sees trees falling down, flocks of birds flying away, and people running towards their cars. She looks at the lake and can't believe her eyes. The lake has been split in half. She sees the lake's bottom cracked open as well. Rebecca looks at her right hand in astonishment.

_W-what happened? Did I-do this? How? This can't be..._

She follows the crack's trail and as soon as she realizes that the trail leads directly towards Mt. Hood, the stratovolcano erupts. The terrifying sound and force of the eruption overwhelms her and makes her fall in fear. The ground starts to shake even more uncontrollably and she is unable to get up. As she watches the mushroom cloud and debris flying all over, she notices that the tree she punched is about to fall on top of her. Unable to move or react in time, she instinctively protects herself. She covers herself and prepares for the worst. However, as seconds pass by, she realizes that nothing has landed on top of her and she didn't hear anything hitting the ground. She opens her eyes and sees the fallen tree, frozen in place, about to land on her. She looks around and sees that everything is frozen in place as well. The flocks of birds, the mushroom cloud, insects and bugs. Everything else except for her. She slowly gets up and gets away from the tree. She checks herself and sees no visible injuries or wounds. She takes deep breaths and starts to freak out.

_What the...what's going on? Everything is stuck. Frozen! It's like...time has stopped. I can still move around though...Am I dead? I don't feel dead. I feel fine. Is this Hell? Doesn't look like it. What is going on? Did I...stopped time? How?_

Rebecca starts to slowly walk away from the lake and heads toward her car in the empty parking lot. Time has not resumed yet.

_What the fuck is going on here? First...my punch cracked the ground and the volcano erupted. Now, everything is frozen! You're freaking out Rebecca...calm yoursel_ f _... this can't be real...right?_

She gets inside her car but is unable to start it, despite her best efforts. The car doesn't make even sound like it's trying to start. She gives up and looks around her surroundings again.

_Okay...if I stopped time..somehow...how do I unfreeze it? Do I want to unfreeze it? Well...let's try this. Time Resume!_?

Immediately afterwards, time does resume. She starts to feel the ground shake again and the sounds of birds flying away. She gets back inside her car and attempts to drive away but not before testing her power once again.

_Oh my god...I can...stop time? Time Stop!_?

Time stops again. Everything, except for her, is frozen in place.

_I did it! I can stop time just by thinking about it! I'm...a superhero or something...Mom and Dad...did you gift me this power? This is so amazing...I can't believe it. If you did give me these powers Mom and Dad...don't worry...I'll use them...wisely. Maxine Caulfield...watch out. I'm comin'._

Rebecca resumes time and drives away from the National Forest, avoiding the fallen trees and other obstacles on the road.

The people of Portland watch in horror and disbelief upon seeing Mt. Hood erupt. The firefighters and criminal investigators who are still at Rebecca's burning house also notice the mushroom cloud. The house fire that still hasn't been put out suddenly disappears and the house finally collapses. People all over the country tune in their local news TV station and watch the breaking news story of Mt. Hood's eruption. Rebecca's cousins, uncles, aunts, and other family members watch the news unfold and desperately call Rebecca's cell phone to check on her.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, Max Caulfield is sleeping in her bed tossing and turning, apparently, experiencing yet another terrifying nightmare.

"No...please no...I didn't mean to do it...Chloe..."

**To be Continued in Chapter 13**

**P.S. Consider this the end of episode 1 if this was an actual LIS game.**


	13. She's Coming!

**Chapter 13**

* * *

"She's coming."

43-year-old Max Caulfield awakens from her nap by her wife Chloe and her daughter Rachel. She looks surprised to see them and quickly gets up and gives both a hug. It's like she hasn't seem them in years. She realizes that she is covered in sweat and feels extremely devastated but doesn't know why. She looks at Chloe's and Rachel's worried faces and concludes she must have experienced a nightmare and was talking in her sleep.

"Hey Max. How are you feeling?" Chloe asks with a lot of concern as she puts her hand on Max's cheek.

"I feel...terrible actually. I feel like...something bad happened to you guys. I feel...lost...and confused..."

"You were talking in your sleep again mommy. Why?" Her 10-year-old daughter asks as she holds her hand.

"Don't worry sweetie. Mommy is okay. Just a bad dream that's all."

"What were you dreaming about?" Rachel curiously asks.

"I-I actually can't remember right now sweetie. I'm alright though okay?"

"Rachel...go play in your room. I need to speak to your other mom in private."

"But I want to be here for mom!"

"Rachel please. Do what your other mother says. I'll be okay. We need to talk, that's all."

"Okay then."

Rachel gives Max another hug before she leaves the room. Chloe closes their bedroom's door and the two of them sit on their bed, side to side. Chloe plays around with Max's hair and caresses her face.

"You're worrying me Caulfield. You look like you just went through some deep shit. You're sweating profusely and you were talking in your sleep. Who's she?"

"She?" Max has no clue of what Chloe is talking about.

"Yes she...the last thing you said in your sleep was "She's coming." Who's coming Max? You also said it in a scary voice...it was freaky as shit."

"I-I have no idea. I have no idea what you're talking about. I must have experienced another nightmare but this time...I don't remember a thing about it."

"That's scary Max. Things are just getting worse and worse. Your face is very warm to the touch. Do you feel sick?"

"Well, as I said...I feel like...I lost somebody close to me. Somebody like you...or one of the children. I feel empty. But...I have no idea why. It's not like I have a fever or something. Damn...what did I dream about?"

"Beats me Max. I'm very worried about you. It's never been like this before."

"Chloe please...don't. It will be alright. You said so yourself. I just need to...conquer these experiences...and I need to remind myself that everything is OK and will always be OK. I will always have you. I will always have Rachel and William. I'm not alone in this world...I got you."

"Damn right Caulfield!"

They fist bump each other then hold hands for a while. Max's feelings of emptiness and sadness fade away as the two of them begin to kiss.

_Chloe does it again. She knows exactly how to cheer me up and take care of me. It's no wonder why I love her so much._

They stop kissing as Chloe abruptly stands up and turns on the TV in their room.

"Max, I think you better see this. It's one of the reasons why I woke you up. Can you believe it? It reminds me of the storm all those years ago. It happened while you were sleeping. Mt. Hood erupted! Nobody knows why or how. There was no warnings!"

As Max sees news footage of the volcano's eruption, she starts to develop a sharp headache that causes her to groan in pain and hold her head.

"Are you okay Max?"

"Ugh...I sure hope so Chloe...the headaches are kicking in again. But...I can't believe that happened. That is terrifying! Remember when we camped at Mt. Hood after we left Arcadia Bay?"

"Of course Max, there's no way I will ever forget about our days there. Me...you...alone together in nature...under the sun and moon. It was very beautiful over there."

"Woah Chloe...look at the lake!"

Max points at the TV screen and watches in astonishment as a 12 second video of Timothy Lake being split in two is being played live.

"...Ladies and Gentleman...this video has been confirmed to be authentic. It was captured by a camper's cell phone just moments before the eruption. You can clearly see the lake being split in two. That's something...we have never seen before. Something that only happens in the movies or in books. So far, there has been no explanation for this. Local scientists are baffled."

"Holy shit Max! Something very strange is going on..."

"You're right Chloe. That isn't normal. A lake being split in two followed by a volcanic eruption? This is freaking me out...I wonder..."

Max's pondering gets interrupted by two knocks on their bedroom's door, followed by the entrance of a young tall blonde haired man. It's her son, William Caulfield, who rushes to her aid.

"Hey mom, I was told you weren't feeling well. Are you alright now? Do you need anything?"

Max stares at her son's gorgeous blue eyes and smiles.

"No sweetie. I have everything I need already. I'm okay...just...a bad headache. It'll pass though."

"Are you sure mom?"

"Positive."

"That's good. I was worried that's why I rushed over here after school. I was going to hang out with Jack and Taylor for a bit but there's no way I would leave you here sick and unattended."

"No, that's not necessary William. I have your other mother here. I'll be okay. Go on and have fun with your friends. You have a big day tomorrow."

"It's okay mom. It's too late anyways. Besides, graduation is tomorrow. I'm gonna party all night long tomorrow night! I can stay here and watch over you."

"I bet you will William. I hope you enjoy your last night with all of your high school friends."

"Thanks mom. Oh yeah, I heard about that volcano eruption in Oregon. Scary stuff. I can't believe it! I have a friend in Portland...she can't believe it either! Thank god nobody got hurt. You guys seen that lake video too? That's some crazy..."

"Shit?" Chloe finishes her son's sentence with a smug look on her face.

"Exactly! What do you guys think about it?"

"Well, I don't know want to think. It's pretty scary and strange that's for sure." Max answers first followed by Chloe.

"Crazy shit. The end."

"Craziest shit in Oregon since that huge tornado 25 years ago!"

William's sudden wikipedia fact silences both Max and Chloe completely. William starts to feel awkward and confused as he looks at both of their faces. They look visibly disturbed and shaken. He has rarely seen them like this.

"Yo...you guys alright?"

"We're fine William. Leave your mother alone please." Chloe orders him, in a monotone voice, to leave the room without even looking at him. William gets even more confused.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't sweetie. I'm...just...sleepy...and tired...I need some time alone with your other mother. Don't worry about me though. I'm fine...just...tired..." Max quietly says as she stares at the TV, also ordering him to leave without looking at him.

Although William wants to question them more and realizes that something he said obviously changed their moods, he obeys their orders and leaves the room.

Chloe joins Max in their bed and holds her tight.

"Where we a bit too suspicious? Does he know?" Max asks quietly.

"He's probably just confused right now. Relax Max. He has no way of knowing."

"What if he starts to suspect? I mean...we were both acting so strange..."

"Shhhhh Max...calm down."

"Sorry Chloe...but the mention of that tornado...just brought back terrible memories..."

"I know Max. I don't blame you at all. But just relax...and take it easy...okay?"

Chloe holds Max even tighter and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay Chloe..."

Meanwhile a bloodlusted Rebecca Styles is driving almost twice the speed limit on Highway 26 en route to Seattle. Driving recklessly and passing all the cars in her way, she gets closer and closer to her destination. Her mind is only focused on one thing: Maxine Caulfield. As she's driving, she keeps hearing her phone ring and ring endlessly. She knows it's probably her friends and family trying to reach her after what happened but she continues to ignore all the calls. All she cares and thinks about right now is getting revenge on the world famous photographer. A person who she has never met before. A person she didn't even know existed before recently. The apparent person responsible for her being an orphan and the killing of her adoptive parents. She begins to wonder what she's actually going to do when she meets Maxine Caulfield.

_What am I actually going to do when I find her? Am I going to say something? Am I going to simply rip her face off? Am I going to scream and cry in front of her then beat the living shit out of her? If I do kill her or assault her, I'm going to jail. Maybe...maybe I should plan this out better and hold off for now. As much as I want to kill her now, I really have to think about how to do it and how to get away with it. Besides, if she is responsible for that tornado...who knows what she's capable of. I could be dealing with someone with superior powers. Dammit...it pains me...but it's the smart thing to do for now...wait..Jesus Christ Rebecca...you're actually thinking of murdering someone...wait...OH SHIT!_

Rebecca's daydreaming has made her not pay attention to the road. Traffic is stuck ahead of her and she's pushing 120 MPH. She slams on the break as hard as she can but realizes that is too late. She's about to hit the stopped truck rig in her lane. In a split second, her entire life flashes before her eyes and she blacks out.

"Rebbecccaaa"

"Rebecccaaa"

"Mom? Dad?"

Rebecca opens her eyes and sees nothing but shades of black and gray. There is no sky above. There is no ground beneath. There's nothing around her. However, she just heard the faint voices of her parents calling out her name.

"MOM!? DAD!?"

Rebecca shouts but gets no answer. She looks around then at herself. She sees no visible injuries to herself. She notices that she's wearing a pink shirt with "Jane Doe" written on it. A shirt she has never owned or seen before. She begins to feel the presence of two people besides her however she doesn't see anybody.

"Rebecca. My sweet Rebecca."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Rebecca it's me. Your father is here as well."

"I can hear you..but I can't see you!"

"But you can sense us right?" Her father asks.

"Yes, I can sense both of you. You're both very close to me. But w-what happened? What is this place? Am-Am I dead?"

"You're not dead Rebecca. Far from it." Her mother states.

"Well...where are we? What happened to you guys? What happened to me?"

"You tell us Rebecca. It seems like this place...was created by you. You're truly extraordinary Rebecca. We're not surprised at all." Her father explains.

"I created this? How? And...what  _is_  this?"

"A different dimension or possibly a different universe even. Your time manipulating powers created this place to shield you from danger. You may have not realized it, but you instinctively protected yourself by stopping time all together. Your powers are truly amazing."

"Shield me from danger? So...I'm not dead? I didn't hit that truck?"

"No, of course you're not sweetie. You're alive!" Her mother cheerfully says.

"But...you guys are dead."

"Sadly, yes we are. However, just because we're gone physically, doesn't mean that you'll be alone. We will always be there for you. Watching over you. We have raised you well. You've been given a great gift. We couldn't be more prouder of you."

"Thank you mom and dad...I'll never forget about you guys. Did...did you guys gift me these powers?"

"No sweetheart. We didn't. Our deaths may have triggered them but that's just a guess. You're a very special person Rebecca. We always knew you were unique. This is only more proof that you're...different. Whatever or whoever granted you these powers, it doesn't matter. We know you will use them to good use. You were given these powers for a reason and we know it's for the right cause."

"Yes...don't worry Mom and Dad...I'll get revenge on the person who murdered you."

"Rebecca...sweetheart...you must do what you feel is right. We don't like seeing you fueled with such hatred and anger but we will not stop you from your goals and wishes. However, if you do choose to go after the ones responsible...be careful. They are extremely powerful. We don't want to see you end up like us. You have an amazing future ahead of you. Be wise. Be safe. Be aware. Don't throw it all away."

Her father's words send chills down her spine as she thinks of Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price. She nods her head in approval and realizes that now is not the time to go after them. For the first time, Rebecca starts to feel afraid of Maxine and Chloe. However, she quickly shakes it off and smiles.

"Don't worry Dad...I'll be...okay. Everything will be okay. I just know it."

"That's the spirit Rebs. It's now time for us to leave. It's time for you to leave as well. Remember Rebecca... _you_  have total control of your destiny and actions. Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise. You will come across many obstacles on your path to success. You will meet a lot of new people, some allies, some enemies. You're going to uncover even more secrets and truths about yourself and past. Some truths you will love, some truths you will hate. We did our best to raise you. We have faith in you and trust you to do the right thing. Everything else is up to you Rebecca. Farewell dear. We love you with all of our hearts!"

Rebecca closes her eyes and sheds a tear as she senses her parent's presences fade away. As much as she wants to stay here with them, she knows that her life must go on. They must leave her behind so she can grow as a person. She must continue to pursue her dreams and live her life to the fullest. That's what her parents want. She wipes her tears away and starts to feel overwhelmed by happiness, appreciation, and empowerment. She re-opens her eyes and realizes that she's no longer at the black and grey void. She's back at her car, dressed in her normal clothes, and with time frozen. Her car is only a foot away from hitting the truck rig in front of her.

_Time is stopped. If I...resume it...I'm going to crash right into it...maybe...I could simply exit from the car? I won't have a car anymore though if I do that. Perhaps...I can do more than just stop time? My parents implied that I can do much more. If I can only...rewind?_

She extends her right hand slowly, almost instinctively, and by a mere thought, rewinds time and everything else around her back several minutes. She stops the rewind,once again,by a mere thought. She is amazed that she has completely control of time and space.

_This is so amazing! I'm a Time Lord! Now I know, I was given these powers for a reason. Now I know that I need more time before I confront Maxine Caulfiled and Chloe Price. I have all the time of the world now. Thanks once again Mom and Dad. I better...go back to Portland and figure this shit out. Steph and Roger are going to be so amazed! I feel so...happy now. I have the rest of my life in front of me! I'm actually excited!_

Rebecca smiles then resumes time and takes the next exit to go back to Portland.


	14. Shooting the Breeze

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Several days has passed since the death of Rebecca's adoptive parents. She attended her graduation ceremony and received a special mention from the principal. Stephanie's parents have offered her their guest room for the time being. Her aunts and uncles have helped tremendously in planning out her parent's cremation. Despite losing her parents, her house, and everything in it, she couldn't be happier and blessed. The rest of her family are quiet surprised on how well Rebecca is taking the loss of her parents. Rebecca has decided to inform the police that the butterfly photo they found is not evidence of anything which disappointed the homicide investigators. The official police investigation of the murders have gone cold fast due to no leads, the crime scene getting destroyed, and no forensic evidence being found on the bodies. The 911 call and the phone call Rebecca received couldn't be traced to anyone and when they dial the number, it sounds disconnected. The only possible lead is the area code of "562" on the phone number but that's about it. Rebecca has ultimately decided to deal with the murders of her parents by herself. Despite losing everything, thanks to her friends and the rest of her family helping her out and Roger starting a GoFundme campaign, Rebecca has received a large amount of donations to buy herself new clothing, shoes, and other basic necessities. Due to cancelling the Reno trip, the trio are now at her room at Stephanie's house, discussing Maxine Caulfield and their future plans. She has yet to reveal to them her time manipulating powers but has told them that she suspects that the Seattle couple is behind the murders. Rebecca is laying in her new bed, thinking of her parents, her powers, and what the future holds for her. Roger seems to have gathered notes and information about their suspects.

"So Rebecca I have studying and investigating all I can about Maxine Caulfield ,Chloe Price, and Arcadia Bay around the year 2013. I have gone over the legible diary entries we found countless times and I think I may be onto a few things. Care to listen?"

"Shoot away Roger." Rebecca responds but remains laying down and looking at the ceiling.

"Well, let's start with the diary entries, the writer keeps using the word 'rewind'. It's repeated several times. It's too bad we don't have a lot of context to really go deeper but I just find it strange on how often it is used. In fact, there's a passage that literally says 'my rewind power' or 'my rewind'. This is going to sound crazy but this just screams time travel to me. I know I know... maybe it's nothing but it's rather strange...don't you think?"

_Hmm...my rewind...my rewind power eh? Can Maxine Caulfield rewind time too? If that's true...damn. Mom and Dad weren't kidding. This is not going to be easy for me. Now I know I'm probably not the only one with time powers._

"Yeah Roger...it sure sounds like time traveling to me as well. We have a time traveler's diary. Amazing!"

"Both of you are crazy for even thinking that a person could go back in time! That's something only fictional characters can do! Get real! It's all make believe! There has to be another explanation of why she kept using the word rewind." Stephanie comments and questions the two of them.

"Hey Steph! I never said that she  _is_  a time traveler, I'm merely speculating. I mean...nobody can truly go back in time...right Rebecca?" Roger asks.

"Huh? Y-yeah you're right Roger...of course nobody can time travel heh. In any case, there's something off with the two of them. That's for sure. Anything else I may want to know Roger?"

"I think we can all agree that those two are...unusual based of what you have told us Rebecca. Who knows what they are really capable of! Why yes I do, remember that girl I told you guys about...Rachel Amber?"

"Rachel Amber? The pretty girl with the blue feather earring?" Rebecca asks as Roger grabs Rachel's photo to show it to her.

"Yup, that's her! Anyways, remember when I said that a famous photographer by the name of Mark Jefferson was the one behind her murder? Well, I was looking into this Jefferson guy and I found something interesting. Apparently years after his conviction. the guy went nuts. He needed special psychiatric therapy and everything. According to his inmates and a website dedicated to him, he has experienced vivid deja vu nightmare-like sequences. Despite our friends Maxine and Chloe Price helping the police to capture him on the night of the storm, he recalls something different. Something very different. He claims that he remembers killing Chloe Price at the town's junkyard and kidnapping Maxine Caulfield on the night of his arrest. He also claims that he remembers having a photo shoot of a drugged Maxine and recalls killing a security guard over and over again. He claims those events really took place but that doesn't make any sense since the two of them are alive and the security guard is alive as well. He has called Maxine Caulfield a "witch" in one of his letters and has pleaded for help from the paranormal community but nobody takes him seriously. Everybody thinks he is just a crazy psychopathic murderer. However, he still insists to this very day that he's not crazy and he's telling the truth. Just something I found interesting Rebecca, what do you think?"

Rebecca gets up from the bed and starts to walk in circles around the room.

_Ugh...not sure what to think. This Jefferson guy could just be a lunatic. However, he could also be the key to knowing more about Maxine's powers. He may have had a first hand experience with Maxine's powers. This pretty much confirms that she does have time powers just like me. Perhaps he did commit those acts but Maxine was able to reset time? Who knows? I might have to pay him a visit...maybe._

Rebecca nods and says "We may be onto something guys." which makes Roger smile and Stephanie to roll her eyes and shake her head.

Meanwhile in Seattle, William has taken his 10 year old sister to the park and helps push her on the playground's swing set. Rachel is beyond happy that her brother has taken her to the park. However, in one of the swings her mood abruptly changes and asks for him to stop pushing her. He helps her get out from the swing.

"What's wrong Rach? I thought you were having a great time?"

"I was big brother...but then I remember about mommy...William...why is mommy so scared?"

"Scared? What are you talking about? Mom is just fine... she's just having a migraine. It's normal for people her age."

"No! I know she is lying to me!"

"Lying? What do you mean? What does she have to lie about?"

"I know she's lying! She's hiding something from us! Something she did in the past! I can feel it! Her dreams...they are hurting her...scaring her...I'm scared too!"

Rachel starts to cry and gives her brother a hug. He picks her up and carries her towards his car.

"Rachel, please don't worry. Everything is going to be okay. I know you love mom so much, so do I, but she's a tough woman. She'll be OK alright? Mommy wouldn't lie or hide anything from us, you know that!"

"If you say so William...but I can feel her feelings...I don't like it when mommy is sad and sick."

"Neither do I Rachel but all we can do is be there for her and take care of her. Just like she takes cares of us. Nothing bad is going happen. Let's go back home to see her OK?"

"OK William. Hey look! A deer!"

Rachel points behind him and he turns around quickly but can't see anything.

"There's no deer here Rach. Stop playing games with your brother!"

"I'm not playing a game. I saw one! I really saw one! It ran away before you turned I think."

"Sure you did Rach. Anyways, let's go back home."

William turns back and heads towards his car. Rachel sees the deer again and waves goodbye at it as she leaves the park.


	15. An Old Promise

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Rebecca has spent the last three days locked in her new room, going over the photos, journal entries, and everything she has found online about Max and Chloe Caulfield. Now interested in the subject of time travel, she has research possible scientific explanations of time travel and has seen several time traveling movies such as Back to the Future, Time Cop, Peggy Sue Got Married, 12 Monkeys, and the Butterfly Effect. Her friends and family are concerned regarding her shut-in behavior and her obsession with the Seattle couple. Although she hasn't experience a nightmare or a surreal vision in a while, she has gone through sleepless nights just thinking about what to do with her powers and how to handle the situation with the Caulfields. Ever since she obtained the powers, she has felt a lingering faint presence that has followed her everywhere, causing her to feel a bit uneasy when she's alone. She still hasn't revealed her powers to Stephanie and Roger and is not planning to do so anytime soon. Her research on the Caulfields has hit a dead end. She has learned all she can from the photos and journal entries. She has a promising lead in that Jefferson guy who is locked up in Oregon State Penitentiary but is still undecided whether to pay him a visit. College is still weeks away and Rebecca has run out of things to do in the meantime. Well, it's more like she doesn't know what to do in the meantime. Trying to have a calm and clear mind and hopefully find guidance within, she begins to meditate.

As she's meditating and listening to relaxing music while sitting on her bed, the lingering presence she has felt has gone from faint to close by. She senses nothing but an overwhelming anger and hateful presence nearby, making her uncomfortable and tense. She is afraid to open her eyes and continues to meditate, thinking to herself that everything going on is inside her head despite her body telling her otherwise. As minutes pass by, the presence starts to diminish and she is greatly relieved, however, not before she hears a horrifying voice shout her name.

"REBECCA!"

The masculine voice sounds identical to the man's voice who called her a week ago. The middle age man's intimating and distorted voice sends shivers down her spine. She opens her eyes and jumps from her bed and looks around. There's nobody in the room aside from her. She catches her breath and decides to get out of the room and take a shower.

_That voice. That...creepy and robotic voice...it's so terrifying. I wonder if that's Maxine Caulfield speaking to me. Well, it's a man's voice so perhaps not. She could be disguising her voice though. It could all be her mindfucking powers. Dammit, things are getting creepier. I'm not sure what to do now. It feels like I have an evil spirit watching over me. Shit. I hope I never hear that voice ever again. I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep tonight or anytime soon. Then again, I no longer sense that presence around me. Fuck, I might go insane after all just by thinking about this. Maybe...I should take care of this little problem right away? If only I could forward time...oh well._

Meanwhile in Seattle, Max has recovered and has not gotten a nightmare recently. It is Saturday morning and Max has taken Rachel to Alki Beach, for a walk by the local Seattle beach. Chloe has decided to stay home as she has a lot of work to do and has watched her stocks closely recently. Chloe has invested a lot in the stock market and has been fairly successful so far but has suffered some losses. As Chloe works inside her home office, she gets a call from somebody named Kristine Prescott, the mayor of Arcadia Bay.

"Yo" Chloe answers while she kicks back in her cozy office chair.

"Hey Chloe, long time no talk. How's business?"

"Same old. Same old. How's hicktown?"

"Hey watch it Chloe! Arcadia Bay is way different since the last time you been here!"

"I'm  _sure_  it is. Anyways, what do you want Miss Prescott? I'm kinda busy now."

"My apologies for interrupting you Chloe but I recently was informed of something you probably want to know. I like to keep my promises after all."

"What are you talking about Kristine?"

"Well, remember you asked me to tell you if anybody ever dug around the lighthouse? You said you were hiding a secret treasure or something like that and didn't want anybody else to find it. Remember that?"

"O-oh yes. I remember now. It's been several years. I already forgot about that. Anyways, what's up?"

"Well, I got intel from my police department that some kids arrived from out of town and dug there last week. Apparently they did find something. So tough luck Price. Looks like your treasure has been stolen"

"WHAT!?"

Chloe drops her cell phone in shock and confusion. She can hear Kristine's voice saying "Hello? Chloe? You there?" . She regains her composure and picks up the phone.

"Well...that sucks. I guess my treasure has really been stolen. Do you know who those three kids were?"

"No idea Chloe. There was no names given to me. Maybe you should ask your step father, Chief Madsen, for more information. He met them personally."

"My step father huh? Yeah...I think I'll give him a call. It's been a while anyways. Thanks for the heads up Prescott."

"Anytime Price!"

"It's...Caulfield now."

"Oh yes, how is Max? It's been a while since I seen her host or even attend a photography festival."

"She is well. Thanks for asking. Anyways, I have to get going. Thanks for the call!"

"My pleasure. Take care!"

_Dammit...Max is not going to like this. So three kids from out of nowhere dug up and found Max's diary? Why? What lead them to it? Maybe they were looking for something else and accidentally found it? However, who the hell would dig in that dump? Have to tell Max about this and call David. I need to know who these kids are. I can only hope that the diary is heavily damaged and nothing can be retrieved from it._

Chloe leaves her office and goes to their master bedroom and sits down on the bed. Just a few days ago, Max was laying there weak and terrified but she has regained her energy and strength. It pains Chloe because the news she just received will upset Max once again.

_Should I tell her or keep this a secret for now? She was so happy this morning...no...she doesn't deserve to be lied to. Poor Max. Hmm, she forgot to make the bed this morning. Goofball Max._

As Chloe makes the bed and changes the pillows and bed sheets, she sees an unusual object underneath Max's side of the bed. It is a knife covered in blood.

_What the fuck? How did this get there? I never seen that knife before! It's covered in blood. What the fuck? What's the meaning of this?_


	16. Series of Unusual Events

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Max and her daughter Rachel, holding hands, are walking by the ocean at Alki Beach Park. It is a warm 75 degree sunny Saturday morning with a gentle ocean breeze. The two of them are wearing cute sundresses and sunhats. After a bizarre week, Max finally feels at peace again and is extremely happy that she decided to take her daughter to the beach. Rachel is also happy and enjoys playing in the sand and with the seagulls, which seem to be drawn towards her.

_The beach is so beautiful. The weather is perfect. It's so calm and relaxing here. If I had my camera with me, I would definitely take a lot of shots. The view of the city, the ocean, the people, my Rachel, so many choices! Even though I been here several times already. Rachel seems happy to be here as well. I really needed a day like this. It would've been better if Chloe was here...but she has work to do. There's always next weekend though. William being here would've been great as well but he came home pretty late last night so he's sleeping in today. Pretty soon he'll start college. Wowser. It's pretty crazy how time just...passes by._

"Mom, why don't you take pictures anymore? I know you used to love it." Rachel breaks the peaceful silence by asking Max a question out of nowhere.

"Hmm, I guess I just ran out of things to take pictures of? Maybe. I actually...don't know Rach." Max was caught by surprise by Rachel's question and couldn't think of a solid answer. However, Max hasn't put too much thought of why she has pushed aside her lifelong passion recently either.

"Is it because you're afraid?"

"Afraid? N-no that's not it!"

"Then why have you been so scared and sad lately mommy?"

"Sweetie, as I told you several times before, mommy has been sick. That's all. There's nothing for me to be scared of."

"But why do I  _feel_  that you're lying to me? I-I just feel that you been scared of something lately. I feel like you're keeping something away from me and Will. I don't like it."

"Rach, don't worry about me. I'm fine. You're fine. There's nothing to be worried about. I wouldn't lie to you about anything. It's a promise OK?"

"Well...what about that journal? I-I listened to you talking with Chloe-mom the other day. You were scared."

"That journal? Rachel! You were listening to us talking!? When I order you to do something, you do it missy! Don't be nosy!" Max raises her voice and freaks out a bit. Rachel is surprised, she has never seen Max raise her voice like that before.

"I'm sorry Mom. I couldn't help it. I only listened for a bit. I swear."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"I am! I pinky swear! Please don't punish me. I"m sorry." Rachel's innocent eyes and regretful voice calms Max a bit who gets on her knees and puts her hands on Rachel's shoulders. They look eye to eye.

"It's okay sweetie. You were always a curious person. You remind me of myself. Anyways, don't worry about the journal thingie. It's all part of the past. There's nothing to worry about OK?"

Rachel hesitates a bit, perhaps confused and untrusting, but eventually smiles and nods. She gives her mother a hug.

_I love you so much Rachel. That's why I have to lie to you. I hate lying to you but you must never know about the past._

As the two of them continue walking, a group of seal pups surround them. Rachel is delighted but Max knows that's best not to interact with them for their own good.

"Look at them Mom! They are so cute! They're so many of them! I want to play with them!" Rachel says while touching one of the pups.

"They are very cute Rach, but don't touch them. We are not suppose to. So we can't play with them sorry."

"But they want to play with me! See? They like me! They like me touching them!"

Rachel sits down and plays with the seal pups who are cuddling her. Max just watches them and smiles but knows that they can't mess around with these creatures for much longer.

_It's cute but a bit strange. Normally, these baby seals are quiet timid and cautious around humans but they seem to adore Rachel. She always had a thing with animals now that I think about it. The zoo animals, the squirrels at the park, the flock of birds that are always outside her bedroom window, and now these marine mammals. What could it mean? I suppose she's going to be an animal expert when she grows up. I could totally see that._

Deciding not to get into potential trouble, she grabs Rachel by her wrist and walks her away from the seal pups.

"Mom, why are you pulling me away from my friends?"

"As I said Rach, we are not allowed to go near them. We humans are a danger to them. It's better off if we don't interact with them at all."

"This really sucks!"

"Sorry Rachel but it's for their own good. We won't and can't bother them."

"But they really like me! I'm not bothering them at all! I could tell by their feelings."

"I'm sure they love you Rachel but it's for us to leave and go back to home. Say bye to the beach."

"Okay mom, fine. Bye friends!"

Rachel waves goodbye at the seal pups and the beach as they head back home. 30 minutes later, they arrive home with Chloe waiting for them at the dinner table. Rachel runs up to Chloe and gives her a kiss on the cheek which Chloe returns. Max realizes that Chloe is in a serious mood as they make eye contact.

"Rachel, can you go to your room? I need to talk to Max for a bit."

Rachel knows something is off but remembering the conversation she had with Max at the beach, does what she is told.

"Max. We need to talk." Chloe sternly states. Unusual for modern day Chloe.

"Okay Chloe. What's going on?" Max joins Chloe at the dinner table.

"I learned some news today. You're not going to like it."

"Oh no. This can't be good."

"It isn't good at all. I hate to break your happy mood today Max but I have to tell you about it, as much as it pains me."

"It must be very serious then. OK. I think I can handle anything you tell me. I think. Just try to whisper okay? Rachel...has been curious lately."

"Oh...she has huh? OK very well then." Chloe starts to whisper.

"I received a call from Kristine Prescott this morning."

"Kristine Prescott!? What did she want? How does she have your number?"

"She's a business acquaintance of mine Max. Although, we haven't talked in years."

"Oh I see. Prescott. That's not a name I wanted to hear."

"I know Max. I  _know._ She's actually a pretty nice and smart person though. She's not like the rest of them. Anyways, since she's the major of Arcadia Bay, I asked her to keep an eye for any activity regarding what we buried at the lighthouse. I told her something silly like I hid my gold treasure there."

"You're talking about the journal?"

"Yes. Well Max, it seems like a couple of kids from Portland somehow and for unknown reasons found it."

"WHAT!? NO WAY!" Max stands up and starts to pace back and forth around the kitchen. Not wanting Rachel to be alarmed or wake William up, she tells Chloe to continue talking in their room. They locked themselves in but continue to whisper.

"That's i-impossible! H-how? Why? Who are those kids?"

"She didn't give me any names Max. Apparently David was around the lighthouse at the time of the digging. He actually talked to them briefly. He didn't get names though. I talked to him today about it and he told me that according to the three kids, they heard rumors of something special being buried at the cliff. He saw one of them carry an old book or journal. That's all he knows. It was two girls and one guy from Portland. They apparently drove away from town as he hasn't seen them since. Whoever those three are, they have the journal."

"No way. No fucking way Chloe. How-How the fuck did this happen? Oh man Oh man." Max paces around the room and scratches her head. She starts to feel nauseous and has a million thoughts running through her head. Chloe gets a hold of the anxiety fueled Max.

"Listen Max. Chill. Take it easy."

"H-how am I suppose to take it easy? Some strangers has the journal! If ANYTHING was left intact, it leads them directly to me. To us! People are going to find out that..we...were behind the storm."

"Max! Enough of feeling guilty over that storm! We been over this! There's no way that anybody can blame you for a storm that happened over 20 years using some old journal. Think about it! I'm sure the journal is so beat up and destroyed by now that there's nothing notable left!"

"T-then why did those kids keep it if it was so destroyed?"

"I don't know Max! I don't have the answers! I wish I did. I really wish I did! It is what it is though. There's nothing to be worried about. It's been a week since those kids discovered it. Nothing has happened to you. Nothing has happened at all! Stop being so hysterical."

"I can't help it Chloe. Now I really wish I burnt that journal. Dammit all. I wonder who those three kids are and what led them to that specific spot. They're from Portland you say?"

"According to David, yes."

"I really wish he got their names. Dammit! I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight or anytime soon. To think that there are people out there...possibly reading my diary entries and looking at my photos. It's not a good feeling. We must be on alert Chloe. Anything can happen now." Max grabs Chloe and puts her hands on Chloe's shoulders and stares right at her eyes. Max is trembling a bit and Chloe realizes it.

"I agree Max. We should watch out for anything unusual but please, don't take things out of proportion. Use common sense. I have tried searching online and social media but there have been no mention of us or the storm recently. Anyways, we have each other! Whatever may happen and if anything does ever happen, we'll be alright."

Chloe's words relieves the tension and calms down Max, who now takes a seat on their bed. Chloe is also relieved for a moment but remembers about the knife she found.

"There's another thing I wanted to talk to you about Max."

"What is it now Chloe? More bad news?"

Chloe takes out the knife from her back pocket and shows it to Max, who is clueless.

"A knife?" Max asks with a lot of confusion.

"Yes, this knife. Have you seen it before?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Well, today while I was making the bed, I found it underneath your pillow and bed sheets. It was covered in dried blood."

"Huh? Covered in blood?"

"Yes, I washed it off already but I did took a picture of it before hand. Here let me show you it."

Chloe shows the picture of the bloody knife to Max but she remains clueless.

"You found  _that_  under my side of the bed? What the fuck?"

"Yeah, I did. Are you sure you never saw this knife before in your life Max?"

"Pretty positive Chloe. I don't play around with knives. You know that."

"Believe me, I trust you. I just find it odd it was under your side of the bed. The blood was very dried up, looks like it has been there for days. However, that doesn't seem possible. I made the bed yesterday as well and didn't see it. Great, more freaky explainable shit!"

"Tell me about it. Why us Chloe? Why us?"

"I don't know Max. We have angered the gods apparently."

"Maybe we have. What are you going to do with the knife?"

"Well, what can I do about it? I'm sure the kids have nothing to do with it. Our house is fully secured so an intruder or thief is very improbable. Calling the cops on this would be pretty silly. You would think we would be used to unusual shit happening to us but I guess not."

"It's been decades since a series of unusual events have happened to us Chloe. We been through some pretty strange stuff after the storm but nothing like this. We really should watch our backs going forward. Who knows what may happen next."

"I agree Max. Let's not scare the children though, they don't deserve to be part of this. We'll keep this to ourselves. Forever if we have to."

"Excellent plan Chloe. Especially Rachel. She's been very worried about me lately. I don't want to scare her."

As Max and Chloe continue their conversation, William gets up and heads towards the kitchen to get some breakfast. He sees his sister eating cereal at the kitchen table. He realizes that Rachel is eating her cereal very slowly and seems to be worried about something.

"Hey Rach. What's up? Where's Max and Chloe?"

"They locked themselves in their room. They are talking about something very bad. I can tell."

"Ah man, I hope I'm not in trouble or anything. I partied very hard last night. I didn't mean to come late and wake you guys up if I did."

"No Will. I'm sure it's not about you. Their talk is worrying me."

"Well that's good for me at least. Hey cheer up! I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Max took you out to the beach right?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun. Played with some seal babies and seagulls. It was very pretty too."

"That's great Rach. I miss spending time with our moms like that. Football and school just consumes all my time nowadays. Enjoy childhood as much as you can Rach. It's some of the best years of your life."

"Is being an adult that bad?"

"It's different from being a kid that's for sure. You have way more responsibilities when you're an adult. Don't worry about stuff like that yet Rach. Enjoy being a kid! Don't grow up so fast okay?" William gives her a sister a fist pump and plays with her hair. Rachel smiles briefly but returns to feeling worried.

In the meantime, Rebecca Styles, after a long morning of meditating outdoors has decided to get an early head start on her move to Seattle's University of Washington.


	17. The Big City

**Chapter 17**

* * *

After experiencing another creepy moment the previous night, Rebecca has decided that there was no point of stalling and that she needs to head towards Seattle to start her college years and take care of the Caulfields. Despite college starting next month, she has gotten permission to move to campus already. She has said her goodbyes to her friends, high school classmates, packs her belongings, and begins her journey to Seattle. Aside from Stephanie and Roger, there's no reason to stay in Portland any longer and besides, both of them will join her at the University of Washington once college officially starts. She visits the where her parents ashes are one last time and promises them that she will get revenge for their deaths and will use the knowledge and skills she learned from them to good use. She has decided to sell her old car for extra money on hand and travels to Seattle by bus.

During the four hour bus drive, she reflects on the previous week or so and can't believe how life changing it was. Just before any of this happened, she was a normal teenager experiencing the typical American girl life but now she has lost her parents, her house, learned that she was an orphan, discovered secrets of a supernatural event that happened before she was born, and now has the ability to manipulate time and sense other's feelings and presences. Now she's on her way to Seattle, a city where she was going to attend college anyways but now there's more meaning to it. Something far more important and personal.

The bus eventually arrives at Seattle's bus station and Rebecca takes her first steps into the huge city. She carries her luggage and calls for a taxi to take her to U-dub. As she waits for her taxi to arrive, she is approached by an old homeless man asking for change. Rebecca nods her head side to side as she doesn't have change on her. The pale-skinned gray haired bearded man, who is tall as she is, wearing a beanie, glasses, and an old green jacket begins to scold her.

"My, my. A pretty young woman like yourself out in the big city, is unable to give an old poor man some change? What a shame. A real shame."

"Sorry sir. I have no cash on me. Only stick. If I did, I would've given you some."

"Hmmm, sure. What brings you to Seattle young girl?"

"School."

"U-Dub?"

"Yes."

"Ah, excellent choice. A fine school that is. Nothing else?"

"Nothing else what?"

"Nothing else that brings you here?"

"No. What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a curious old man. Pay no attention to me."

Rebecca sees that her taxi has arrived and signals to the driver to help her with the luggage.

"I'll take your advise and leave sir. My taxi has arrived."

"So it has. Farewell young one. We'll watch your career with great interest."

The homeless man walks away as Rebecca gets on the taxi. She watches the homeless man walk away but loses him in the crowd.

_That was... strange. I...sensed a mixture of feelings from him. Curiosity, frustration, desperation, and eagerness. There was something about that man. Oh well, he's gone and I'll never see him again. Why do homeless people take such a liking to me? Anyways,_ _I can't believe that I'm actually here. Seattle is so damn beautiful. I wish mom and dad were here...wait...they are here. Maxine Caulfield is also here. Along with her wife Chloe. Ugh. Those hipster trash need to be eliminated. Soon! My mission starts today!_

The taxi drops her off at the North Campus and she begins to make her way towards McMahon Hall, the dormitory where she will be staying at. She smiles at everybody she comes across who smile back, the men turn heads, and she takes a deep relaxing breath before she enters the dormitory. She eventually meets up with the resident director, a short 40 year old brunette-haired hispanic woman who gives her a tour of the dormitory.

The resident director is aware of what happened to Rebecca recently and offers her sincerest condolences and even a welcoming hug which Rebecca accepts. Rebecca is in awe of what she sees in the tour and gets excited when she sees her room for the first time. The director leaves her alone while Rebecca starts to decorate the room and settle in.

However, amidst the excitement, she starts to feel a bit upset upon taking out the destroyed journal and butterfly photo from her luggage. She decides to hide any trace of the Caulfield mission under her bed and continues to decorate her room at best she can. However, she continues to be upset because her decorations are so simple and pales in comparison to her ideal dorm room she had in mind prior to things going downhill. She lost most of her decorations and things she was going to bring with her in the house fire. Her depression kicks in once more and she decides to explore more about the dormitory and the school to distract her mind for a bit. She sees a sign for "The 8", a collection of 5 different restaurants inside the dormitory, serving burgers,pizza, and more so she decides to get something to eat. However, upon entering, she accidentally bumps into a tall blonde haired white guy carrying a pizza, which falls down on the floor. Rebecca is immediately apologetic.

"Oops, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you at all. Damn...your pizza is on the floor."

However, the blonde haired man doesn't get upset and checks on her before cleaning up the mess.

"Eh, It's all good. Nobody got hurt. That's what matters. I can just order another one. It was my fault anyways. I was basically sprinting through the hall and being careless. You didn't do anything wrong. Are you okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Are you okay?"

"I'm all fine don't you worry! Just a little bump. It happens."

As they smile to each other and check each other out, Rebecca gets one closer look on the man in front of her and recognizes him. He's Stephanie's internet boyfriend, William.

_Hey, this is Stephanie's hunk. He is...gorgeous. He has a great smile and personality. I better not tell him that I'm her friend. At least for now. It will just make things even more awkward. Steph's a lucky girl. Of course, if she finds the courage to ask him out once she arrives that is._

William is captivated by Rebecca's smile and charm as well. He can't get his eyes off her and realizes that she's must be a freshman as well, based on the fact that Rebecca is wearing a Portland t-shirt and appears to be lost.

"Are you from Portland? I have a good friend that lives there." William asks.

"Yeah, I just moved here today. I was checking things out. How about you?"

"I'm actually from here. I'm a freshman myself actually but because I have so many friends here, I basically know everything about this school due to all the partying. I'm here in a full college football scholarship! I would've gone to a better college but I can't just leave Seattle behind! Hey, do you need a tour of the place? I'm willing to show you around campus if you'd like."

"Well...alright. That sounds great. I'd really appreciate that."

"That's great. Meet me at this spot in an hour. I'll give you my phone number as well. So what's your name?"

"Rebecca...Rebecca Styles."

"That's a lovely name you have Rebecca Styles. I like your style! It's very nice to meet you. My name is William...William Caulfield."

_That name..._

Her eyes widen and she turns her back on William, unsure what to do. William scratches his head but can't help checking out Rebecca's attributes.

_Caulfield? Could he the son of Max Caulfield? If so, how is that possible? Maybe it's just a coincidence. Caulfield might be a common name around these parts._

William, confused and concerned for Rebecca, puts his hand on her shoulders. Rebecca turns around and points at him.

"Caulfield?!" Rebecca shouts the name with a touch of disgust and anger.

"Yes, Caulfield. Wait, do you actually know who is Max Caulfield? You must be into photography then. Well, I'm her son. It's not very common that people our age would recognize that name immediately. Then again, you could be referring to  _The Catcher in the Rye_. When one is it?"

Rebecca eyes widen even more and stares directly at him.

_Oh shit. He is the son of Maxine Caulfield. Stephanie has chatted with the son of my parent's murderers all this time. I have him in front of me now. Holy fucking shit. What do I do? What the hell do I do now? Chill Rebecca. Play it cool. Be oblivious as possible. This could your chance to get close to the Caulfield family. If I befriend him, it may lead me directly to his mother. I can't pass that up._

Rebecca regains her composure and nods in approval.

"Yeah that's it! I heard of your mother and seen her work before! She's a great photographer! Wow I can't believe I'm meeting her son! That's... _wonderful_."

"It's pretty neat yeah. That's great that you're a fan of my mother's work. She's really amazing at what she does. I'm proud of being her son. Anyways, I have to get another pizza for obvious reasons. We'll meet up in an hour k? Remember this spot!"

"O-of course! I'll be here waiting. I think this could be the start of something...special."

"You know what Rebecca, I was about to say the same thing."

They stare at each other eyes and continue to smile at each other until William leaves the hall. Rebecca, not feeling hungry anymore, runs back to her dorm room to evaluate on what just happened.

_This opens up a tons of possibilities! Things are going to get interesting here._


	18. Campus Invitation

**Chapter 18**

* * *

As they agreed, Rebecca goes back to the food court where she finds William already waiting for her. He has changed clothes apparently, going from wearing a football jersey, shorts, and running shoes to wearing a blue blazer, a light blue business casual shirt, white pants, and sneakers. It is obvious that he showered and put on some cologne. She, however, didn't decide to look more presentable or change clothes at all. She's still wearing her tourist Portland shirt and black leggings, which is something she now regrets. William begins to show her around campus and make small talk with her, making their "date" a bit awkward at first but eventually things goes smoother. After getting to know a bit of each other's interests, past, goals, and after walking for about an hour, they decide to take a break and sit on a bench overlooking the main entrance . Rebecca finds William interesting and attractive but she finds his connection to the Caulfields even more engaging.

"Alright Rebecca, I hope I was a great tour guide. We walked around pretty much the entire university except for a few spots. If you want, we can hit those later on."

"No, that won't be necessary I think-well- actually maybe I'll let you know. Thanks again for showing me around. It helped a lot. Hopefully I won't get lost once classes start. My two friends from Portland will be coming here in the following weeks so that will help a lot as well."

"I'll make sure you won't get lost Rebecca. It's nice that you have friends coming here but you have my number just in case. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks William. I can't believe I'm actually here. It's a beautiful day today. I like...the coldness and the dark cloudy sky. Looks like it's about to rain. I love when it rains. I like snow too."

"You do? Me too! I prefer the cold over hot any day. I love the rain and snow too."

"Hmm...don't football players hate playing in the rain and snow?"

"Most of my teammates do but I actually like it. It's a lot more challenging and fun. You see, while I do like playing football and all, I don't take it too seriously. Football is just something to make it through college while I figure out what I really want to do with my life. There's something greater out there waiting for me. Something to do with kids, traveling, and volunteering. Helping others in need. I'm not too sure myself just yet but something along those lines. A lot of my buddies think my ideas of pursing those type of careers are foolish and they all recommend me to stick to football but I just ignore them. It's fun to play the sport but it doesn't make me truly happy."

"Helping others does?"

"Yeah, I volunteer a lot in my free time. Always have since I was a kid. My parents always encouraged me to help others and treat everybody the same no matter what. So I'm pretty sure that's where it came from. However, I do most of my volunteer work on my own without them being involved anymore. So yes, helping other people in need really makes feel better. My family's wealth helps a lot too. We donate all the time if we don't have the time to volunteer. Don't mean to brag of course."

"Mmhmm. So I know your mother Maxine Caulfield is a photographer but what about your other mother? Didn't you say her name was Chloe...right?"

"Yeah her name is Chloe. Well, she's actually the CEO at a major healthcare company so she helps provide healthcare for thousands of patients. She's a truly wonderful and smart woman. She also owns some small businesses across the nation. She's too busy nowadays I'm afraid but that's just who she is. She's a very hard worker. How about your parents? What do they do for a living?"

_His parents were responsible for hundreds of deaths, including my parents, but now they act like good Samaritans and donate and volunteer for people in need? What a bunch of hypocrites! They really disgust me. Oh crap, he asked about my parents. Should I lie or tell him the truth? If I intend to get closer to him, I must make things more personal. Lying now might backfire on me later on. So I guess I'll tell him the truth. Knowing who he is, he's going to feel sorry for me. I can rewind if it doesn't go as well._

Rebecca puts her head down and begins to forcibly create tears. William notices and puts his arm over her to try to comfort her. Although her instincts are telling her to yank him away, she allows him to put his arm over her.

"Hey what's wrong Rebecca? Why are you crying?"

"I-it's because you asked about my parents but they...are dead! They were killed a week ago. Somebody murdered them! It was so awful William. Somebody took them away from me. They burnt my house down too. I lost everything!"

Rebecca rests her head on his shoulder and grabs his arm. Crocodile tears flow down her eyes and William tries his best to comfort her.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that Rebecca. I didn't know. I wish I didn't ask that question. I'm very sorry!"

"N-no it's not your fault William. Sorry for breaking down in public but I really haven't gotten over it!"

"It's okay. Cry as much as you can. Let your emotions come out. I can't possibly imagine how you feel after losing both of your parents. If that happened to me, I would have no idea how I would react. My world would just...crash."

_I'll make sure you'll feel that pain one day._

She continues to sob for a few minutes until she decides that enough was enough and cheers herself up, much to William's surprise. She gets up from the bench and holds her fists up.

"My parents would hate to see me crying like this. I must move on with my life and live life to the fullest. So that's why I'm already at college. To get a head start on my new beginning."

"Wow, you're amazing Rebecca. I had a bunch of quotes and inspiring testimonies ready to tell you but you cheered yourself up. That's great!"

"Thanks William for being here with me. We just met and I just got here but I already met an amazing person like yourself today. I really needed something like this at this point of my life. Thanks again!

"Hey, you're very welcome! Feel free to talk to me whenever. Hey, I was wondering about something. I think you need some distraction from what's going on with your life. How would you like to be...my date to my parents' 15th wedding anniversary celebration? It's this Friday. All of my relatives and their friends will be there. There will be great food, music, dancing, and more. I will need to confirm if it's still happening though, both of my parents have been acting...not their usual selves lately. Would you like to come though?"

_Hmmm...his parents are not acting their usual selves? I don't like that he's using the term 'date' already but I guess I have no choice to go along with it. It might be interesting._

"Y-yeah that sounds...great. I'll love to come. Maybe I'll meet your parents?  _Especially_  your mother Maxine."

"Oh yes! I will definitively introduce you to her and my mother Chloe. I will also introduce you to my sister Rachel and everybody else in my family."

"You have a sister named Rachel? Is she older or younger than you?"

"She's my little sister. She's only 10. I think you two would get along well."

"Well...okay then. So what's going on with your parents? What do you mean by them not acting themselves lately?"

"Oh, well I'm referring to mostly my mother Maxine. She's been away from the photography scene for a while but lately, she's been acting distant from me and the rest of the family as well. She's been sick also, experiencing terrible headaches and nightmares. My other mother Chloe was feeling alright until recently she too has been acting distant and worried. They refuse to tell me anything though, they ensure me and Rachel that everything is fine. So I really have no idea what's going on. They were looking forward to their 15th wedding anniversary but now, they're acting like it's nothing important. I'm pretty sure it's still going to happen though, hundreds of guests are arriving soon. For them to cancel it just a few days prior isn't like them. We'll see what happens."

_Maxine Caulfield has also been experiencing nightmares and headaches? I don't think this is a coincidence at all. Something's up with her. Maybe she's getting the same treatment like I did? Good news. Ugh, going to their anniversary celebration disgusts me but it's the perfect way to meet her and know more about her. It will be held in a public place so nothing bad can happen. I'll go then._

"Well, hopefully your parents feel better so they won't cancel the event. I'm looking forward to it. Anyways, I need to um...get some sleep. I hardly slept last night. Talking about my parents just now didn't help at all either. But it was very nice to meet you William. I'm glad I bumped into you and ruined your pizza haha."

"Hey, I'm glad too. It was worth it just to meet you. Yeah, I'll text you once I know. I'll walk you back to your dorm alright?"

"Sure."

They walk back to McMahon hall and reach her dorm room. William hugs her before he leaves and whispers to her that everything will be fine. Rebecca smiles at him and closes her dorm room. She beings to plan out of how to act and what to say once she finally meets his parents. However, one thing immediately comes across her mind.

_Oh shit! I don't have a great pretty dress and heels to go to that anniversary celebration! Dammit. I need to buy them. All I have is donated garbage clothes from Goodwill or Walmart. I'm also going to need a complete makeover. I wish Steph were here already. I can't afford to waste my savings on stuff like this. I could ask William to pay for them but I think that's acting too hasty. Steph and Roger know that I just sold my car so they would question me on why I need money. I might be able to convince Roger but I've taken too much advantage of him lately. Perhaps...it's time to use my powers again. See how far they take me. It's only a few days away so I need to at least try._

Later that evening Rebecca takes a Uber and heads towards Northgate Mall in search of the perfect dress. She walks around the mall and enters several stores until she finally finds one that she truly likes. It is a red jersey knit sleeveless maxi dress with a high side slit. She tries it on in the dressing room and falls in love with it. The store employee remarks on how beautiful she looks in the dress. The employee have also picked out the best heels to go with the dress. As she pays for the heels and dress with her own money, she stops time immediately after the cashier accepts the money and puts it on the cash register. She carefully grabs the money back from the register, before it closes, and resumes the position she was at. Her plan worked perfectly. She leaves the store without any security issues. She looks at the receipt and is amazed of what just happened.

_Yes it worked! I tricked and beat the system! Didn't waste a lot of money on these beauties. Now, I just need a full makeover before the party begins. I'm going to look so hot, I'll have William kissing my feet in no time. Oops. Maybe I'm getting too ahead of myself._

Feeling empowered, she enters more stores to buy accessories and jewelry but eventually stops as she develops a horrible migraine that makes her call it a night.


	19. Crashing the Party

**Chapter 19**

* * *

"Chloe, I'm not sure about this. I have a very bad feeling about this. Let's just cancel the whole thing. I don't feel good at all."

"Cancel? C'mon Max, please calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen. You're freaking out about nothing."

It's the day of their 15 year wedding anniversary party and Max wants nothing to do with it. It was never her idea in the first place. Steph Gingrich and Chloe were the masterminds behind it. For Chloe's sake, she agreed to it almost a year ago but now has second thoughts. The past week and so have been very unusual and unsettling for the Caulfields, especially for Max, who is overwhelmed by anxiety and fear. There's only a couple of hours until the event starts and Max has refused to get ready for it. Chloe, however, has already begun getting ready and is about to put on her royal blue chiffon mother of the bride-like pantsuit with a jacket. Max chose a rose-colored keepsake high rise dress beforehand. Chloe watches Max looking out their bedroom's window and feels a bit disappointed that her wife doesn't look so thrilled of celebrating their wedding anniversary. Chloe approaches Max from behind and puts her hands on her wife's shoulders.

"Max, I admit life has been strange for the past week but we can't let that ruin our plans and keep us down. I was looking forward to tonight so much. Please don't ruin the mood. I understand what you're going through, believe me, but I think you're overreacting a bit."

Max abruptly turns around and sharply stares at Chloe, who is caught off guard.

"Overreacting!? Chloe, I keep getting those fucking nightmares of that fucking tornado! I keep hearing the voices and cries of the people who were killed! I feel like something or somebody is out to get me, especially when some fucking kids from outta nowhere found my fucking journal! Am I suppose to pretend everything is okay when there's a chance that somebody might discover what happened and jeopardize everything? Sorry Chloe but I can't deal with this shit right now! I don't know how you of all people can be fine living like this!"

Max turns her back to Chloe and looks out the window again. Chloe is taken by surprise by Max's sudden emotional burst. The amount of fear in Max's voice sends shivers down Chloe's spine. She hasn't been those emotional since the week of the storm. There's an awkward silence in the room that lasts several minutes until they hear a knock on their door. It's their daughter Rachel, dressed like a flower girl, checking on them.

"I heard you screaming mommy. What's going on?"

"Nothing dear."

Max's cold tone doesn't fool Rachel but Chloe gives her a stare and nod that orders her out of the room.

"Rach. Please leave your other mother alone. Don't worry, everything's fine. We promise. Now go on and play with your toys until it's time to go."

Rachel stares at Chloe then takes another look at Max before leaving the room.

"Rachel has been too nosy and worried lately Max. I think she knows that you're hiding something from her. Please Max, don't be like this. I know it's very tough for you and believe me I  _do_ understand but you're talking as if some person is going to barge in here and kill all of us. Look. Yes, it's weird as fuck that you're getting those nightmares again. Yes,it's weird that some kids discovered your journal. However, this isn't the end of the world. Everything will be okay! We can take on any obstacle in our way! No matter what it is! Nothing bad is going to happen though. I promise you that. Please Max. We can pull through together. I also don't want to scare the children or our friends Max. We need to live life to the fullest! Please don't force me to cancel the party. Everybody was looking forward to it. Your parents, our friends, and even William. Let's go get ready Max. Please. For me?"

Chloe hugs Max from behind and kisses her in the cheek. She caresses her hair and comforts Max, who was trembling in fear. Eventually Max breaks her silence and turns around to face Chloe.

"Fine. You won. I'll go. However, if anything remotely weird happens... I'm outta there. Capiche?"

"Woohoo! Thank you Max!"

"You're lucky that you know my weak spots Price. Anyways, I'm dead serious about my condition. Got it?"

"Don't worry Caulfield, I understand. I'll tell Steph to hire extra security even though it is rather silly. Whatever to make you feel better though."

"I appreciate that Chloe. I suppose it is a bit silly now that I really think about it. I mean what can possibly go wrong? Perhaps spending an evening with our friends and family will actually make me feel better. Catching up with some old friends actually sounds pretty nice right now."

"That's the spirit Max! I'm so excited! William is going to be so trilled!"

"William? Why?"

"Didn't he tell you?"

"No, he hasn't. He probably didn't want to bother me. What's going on?"

"He has a date he's going to bring tonight!"

"Oh, he's dating again? That's good. I wonder how she's like."

"We're going to find out shortly. He said there's something about her that makes him think about her all the time. He also said that she wants to meet you."

"Meet me!? Why?"

"Because you're Max fucking Caulfield? I guess you forgot you're famous."

"Oh, yes. Well, I can't wait to meet her."

"Good me neither. Now, let's go get ready! Only a few hours until it starts."

"Alright Chloe. I hope I don't regret this."

As Max gets ready for the anniversary party, Rebecca is enjoying her trip to the beauty salon in preparation for the party as well. Thanks to William's generosity, she has a full hair, nail, eyebrow, and makeup makeover paid in pull. As the hairstylist is doing her vintage waves, she looks at herself in the mirror and smiles.

_This is my first time I ever had a complete makeover like this. This feels amazing! I'm going to look so great once I'm done here. I really can't believe this is happening already. I'm about to meet my worst enemy-Maxine Caulfield. I'm going to her wedding anniversary bash as her son's date. Pretty crazy I must say. Thanks a lot William! You're making this too easy though...it makes me wonder. How far can I take this?_

Earlier in the day, William took Rebecca out for a drive in his new Tesla and drove by his house-well-Rebecca considers it a mansion. Although she didn't enter the house because William wanted to personally present her to his parents at the party, she can tell how well-off his family is. They live in a four-story house with a massive garden and a swimming pool at the backyard according to William.

_Maxine Caulfield. I think I found a great way to get back at you. My revenge starts tonight!_

After another hour at the salon, Rebecca is finally finished and texts William to pick her up. He arrives shortly and is completely amazed upon seeing her. He's lost for words.

"Dam-wow Rebecca. You look great! Absolutely amazing!"

"It's all thanks you William. Thanks again!"

"N-no problem Rebecca! It's my pleasure!"

"You look great yourself William."

Rebecca comments on William's white jacket tuxedo suit and classic comb over haircut.

"Oh thank you Rebecca. Now then, shall we go?"

"Yes. I can't wait."

William opens the passenger door for Rebecca and they drive off to the Silver Cloud Inn, where the anniversary party is being hosted at. Most of the guests have already arrived by the time they get there but the wedding couple has yet to arrive. Due to the cold and rainy weather, all the guests and festivities are inside the hotel's conference room. William and Rebecca lock arms as they walk inside the hotel. As soon as they step inside, they immediately get the attention of everybody in the room. William waves hello to somebody from a distance as Rebecca looks around to see if there's any familiar faces.

_Damn, there's a lot of people here! I don't recognize any of them though. That woman over there looks like that Kate Marsh lady Steph and Roger mentioned but I'm not too sure. Bunch of rich scum here. There's a bunch of security officers as well. What's up with that? Well, I guess it's time for introductions since everybody is staring at us. Oh great, his grandparents are over there._

They walk towards the table in the front where William's grandparents are at but they get interrupted by many curious people.

They first get approached by a middle age Auburn haired blue-eyed woman who checks her out from head to toe. After checking Rebecca out, the woman walks up to William and gives him a nudge before walking away.

"Damn William. Impressive!"

"Why thank you Steph. It was nice of you to arrange all of this by the way."

"Who else but me? The one and only."

_What the hell was that about? Is she a lesbian or something? The way she was looking at me and her comments...oh well that doesn't matter._

The next person that greets them is a tall brown-haired woman. They shake hands as she introduces herself as Kristine Prescott, the major of Arcadia Bay.

"Hello there William! You sure have grown since the last time I seen you. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you two but I just have to compliment your date over here. You're very beautiful...Rebecca was it? Your eyes especially. They're stunning. They remind me of somebody...I seen your eyes before."

"Well, thank you Miss Prescott. How's Arcadia Bay?"

"Hmm?"

"You know. After that tornado and such? I heard about your family's name before online too."

"Have you now? Well, all of that is in the past I assure you. So whatever negative things you may have read about my family, it's completely outdated. Arcadia Bay have moved on from the tornado as well. I made sure of it! Hey I know! You and William's family should visit the Bay one of these days!"

"I'm going to ask my parents about it Miss Prescott. However, I don't think that's going to happen. For some reason, they never want to go back to their home town and whenever I mentioned Arcadia Bay, they change the subject."

"It's because of that damn tornado Will. It destroyed everything in its path. Your parents lost a lot of people they care about in that terrible storm. Anyways, that's ancient history. Let's not ruin the mood shall we? It was a pleasure to meet you Rebecca and it was nice seeing you again William."

_Hmm...that was kind of interesting to meet the major of my home town. I wonder what kind of relationship she has with Maxine and Chloe Caulfield? Only if she knew the truth about them. Maybe she'll do something about it!_

Kristine Prescott walks away and they continue walking towards his grandparents' table. She hears people whispering about them and sees others eyeballing her. They walk by the woman dressed in church clothes who she thought was Kate Marsh and she quickly finds out she was right. William greets the cheerful short dirty blonde long-haired woman and introduces her to Rebecca.

"Wow William! You're so tall now! Where does the time go? I'm so glad that I got an invitation to this party. I can't wait to see Rachel and your parents again too! Ooh, who's this? Is she your girlfriend?"

"Ugh well-you see Miss Marsh..."

William struggles to answer Kate's question and doesn't know what to say. Rebecca realizes this and decides to take over the conversation.

"No. We're just friends but who knows later on eh?"

Rebecca winks at William who blushes then continues her conversation with Kate Marsh. She recalls her testimony about how Maxine Caulfield save her from an apparent suicide attempt.

"Hello, my name's Rebecca. It's very nice to meet you Miss Marsh."

"Call me Kate please. Hearing the name Miss Marsh makes me feel old and...well...nevermind."

"Oh, I understand. Well then, it's nice to meet you Kate. So you're an old friend of the Caulfields I suppose?"

"Oh yes! We go way back to high school! They're a very sweet couple and family."

"Before that tornado?"

"Oh gosh you know about the tornado? There's isn't a day that goes by that I don't pray for all those people who we lost in that terrible storm. Luckily, I survived that terrible night."

"Wait? You were there when it happened?"

"Yes I was. Because of complicated matters, I was admitted in the town's hospital away from the tornado's path. It was still a very scary night to experience though. I thank God every day that he shielded me that night. I just don't know why he didn't spare the rest of us. Perhaps there was a purpose to that storm. Only God knows. William's mother-Max- also helped me survived that storm. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now."

Kate smiles briefly at her but it quickly fades away as she sits down and looks down at the floor.

_Oh great. She's one of those people. I'm not going to pursue this though. She means well I suppose._

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I'm also sorry for bringing up terrible memories."

"It's okay Rebecca. I think about that night every day anyways. I'll leave you two alone. It was a pleasure to meet you Rebecca."

"Likewise Kate."

Rebecca eventually meets William's grandparents who compliment on her appearance to no end. After fifteen minutes of hearing stories of how she reminds them about somebody they knew in the past, William informs her that his parents have arrived. They all stand up and turn around to face the main entrance and she sees a little girl, dressed like a flower girl, running happily towards them. The little girl first goes to William's grandparents and gives them hugs and kisses then goes to William to do the same. William picks up the little girl and presents her to Rebecca.

"Rebecca...I would like you to meet my sister Rachel. Rachel, this is Rebecca. A friend of mine. Say hi!"

He puts Rachel down and gently pushes her to face Rebecca. Rachel stares at Rebecca's eyes and remains silent and still. Rebecca smiles at Rachel and compliments her on her flower girl dress.

"Hi Rachel! It's nice to meet you! William told me a lot about you. You're so cute in your flower girl dress. You look exactly like a Disney princess. The flowers you're carrying are very pretty too! Tell me about yourself. What are some things you like?"

Rachel, however, doesn't respond at all and keeps staring at Rebecca with an emotionless face. Rebecca gets on her knee and tries to start a hand clapping game with Rachel but she won't budge.

_Jesus what's up with this kid? She keeps staring at me with those sharp blue eyes-wait-is that fire in her eyes? Nah, don't be silly Rebecca. However, as cute as she is, she's stating to creep me out!_

William tries to encourage Rachel and tells her not to leave Rebecca hanging but she still doesn't cooperate.

"C'mon Rachel! Don't leave her hanging like that! Eh...Sorry Rebecca. I guess she's too shy."

"No worries. It's okay Rachel if you don't want to play."

"Look Rebecca! They're here!"

William points behind her and that's when she first gets her eyes on her two enemies. Maxine Caulfield and her wife, Chloe. She immediately gets goosebumps and begins to feel mixed emotions of hatred and sadness. Rachel immediately runs towards her parents and gets behind them. Everybody in the room begins to applaud and gathers around to greet them.

_There she is. Maxine Caulfield in the flesh. Her smile, laugh, and fake appearance completely disgusts me. Her wife isn't much better either. Look at them having a great time knowing what they did. Only if everybody else here knew what horrible things they have done. I bet they wouldn't be too happy. Yes yes they look very fabulous...fabulous pieces of shits._

"Damn looks like you have to wait until the party is over to meet them. Sorry Rebecca."

"It's okay. I'll just enjoy the show in the meantime."

_I hope this doesn't take too long. I'm not sure if I handle more of this shit. Just looking at them...ugh._

The party-well more of a nostalgia board meeting to Rebecca-finally starts. Dinner and drinks get served as toasts and speeches begin. Several people including William, Steph Gingrich, Kate Marsh, Stella Hill, photographer friends of Max, Chloe's co-workers, and others join in. After many wine drinks, nostalgic stories, and lame jokes bout caviar and pirates, Rebecca is bored to death. Finally, after a long speech given by Chloe and a short dance segment between the two of them, the party is finally over.

"Now's our chance Rebecca! I'm going to get them before they get occupied. Stay here."

William runs up to his parents and points to Rebecca, who takes a deep breath before getting up to meet them. For the first time in the evening, Max Caulfield and Rebecca meet eye to eye. As soon as they look at each other, time slows down and the voices of the people around them fade away. Rebecca immediately realizes that everything around her and Max has become nothing but darkness.

_Oh my god. What the fuck is going on? Where did all those people go? Hold on. I can't move! I'm frozen still! I can't even move my face! What the fuck is happening!?_

Rebecca has no choice but to look at the slowly approaching Max Caulfield who has a creepy smile on her face. She attempts to stop and rewind time but they have no effect. In a blink of an eye, Max Caulfield teleports in front of Rebecca and touches her neck and raises her head. Unable to do anything but watch, Rebecca stares at Max's sharp blue eyes while flames consumes their surroundings. Rebecca begins to sweat from the heat of the flames and from fear. She wants to scream in horror and close her eyes but as hard as she tries, she can't.

_What the fuck kind of person or being is this bitch? She's a fucking demon or something! What the hell did I get myself into?_

"REBECCA!"

William shouting her name apparently wakes her up from the nightmare-like experience she had. She looks around and sees that she's back in the conference room with everybody else. Everything is back to normal. She catches her breath and touches her forehead while William comforts her.

"You're okay Rebecca? You totally blank out for a minute there. Is something wrong?"

"I-I-I don't know what happened. What happened to me?"

"You stood there with a face like you seen a ghost or something."

"Is she okay William?"

Rebecca freaks out when she hears Maxine Caulfield's voice just a few feet away. She looks at Max and sees that she's visibly concerned about her. Her facial expressions are completely different from the acid-trip like experience she just went through. This doesn't calm down Rebecca though, as she flinches when Max extends her hand towards her.

"Are you alright Rebecca? I heard you wanted to meet me."

Max's gentle voice freaks Rebecca out and in a panic covers her face and attempts to walk away but is stopped by William.

"Hey what's up Rebecca? Where are you going?"

"I-I'm sorry William, I forgot I have something to do and I need to leave NOW."

"W-wait what? Where do you need to go? I can take you there!"

"No, that won't be necessary. It's something very personal so I can't tell you right now. I'll see you later!"

"Wait!"

Rebecca breaks free from William's grip on her and brisk walks away from the conference room but is stopped by Max's voice once again.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Rebecca. Thanks for coming! I hope you feel better!"

"T-t-thanks Maxine Caulfield. It was nice to meet you."

"Call me Max sweetie. It's never Maxine."

"Sure whatever Maxine. See you guys later!"

Rebecca bolts out of the hotel and continues to run for several blocks until she finally stops and orders a ride back home.

"Well that was weird Will. What's the deal with her?" Chloe asks William.

"I'm not sure. She was excited to meet you two then suddenly that happened. I should go after her and make sure she's alright."

"No William, let her be. She said she had something personal to take care of. Leave her alone. I'm sure she's fine and can take of herself."

Max orders William to leave Rebecca alone for now.

"You're right. Well, what did you two think of her?"

"She's gorgeous William. I wish she would've stayed longer though." Max comments.

"She seems nice but as Max said, I wish we got to know her better. Maybe you should invite her for dinner one of these days. Only the four of us of course."

"That sounds nice! I'll invite her one of these days. Thanks Chloe!"

"I got your back Will."

They fist pump each other and they continue their night, interacting with the rest of their friends and family.

Meanwhile, Rebecca's uber arrives just in time as it has started to rain heavily. On the way back to her dorm room, she reflects on what just happened.

_That was pathetic of me running away. I can't believe that happened though. What the fuck was that about? It felt so real but it was just a dream...right? Who the fuck knows? Fucking freaky as shit family. When she touched my neck with that cold hand of hers...it sent shivers down my spine. If what I experienced was real and was one of her tricks, then I have no chance against her. Even my time powers couldn't save me from that! She's on a completely different level! Although it could've just been another out-of-body experience as well. Regardless, I think I know exactly how to get my revenge without directly confronting her. William is the key to all of this. If I can manipulate him and slowly strip them of their wealth...I think that's a great way to start. I'm going to need help though. This isn't going to be easy as I thought._


	20. A Different Kind of Dark Room

**Chapter 20**

* * *

 

After a very long drive, Rebecca finally arrives in Salem, Oregon where the almost 300 year old state prison is located. She's there for only one reason: Visit Mark Jefferson and learn everything he knows about Maxine Caulfield. She patiently stands with her arms crossed outside the main gates waiting for an opening. To protect her identity from the security cameras, she reluctantly wears a used black hoodie that was donated to her. As soon as a police car enters the main gates, she stops time and enters the perimeters. Although time is completely frozen, she enters the prison with caution and is very careful of what she touches. After an hour of trial and error of stopping and rewinding time, Rebecca manages to steal the keys from the lead security guard and pin points Jefferson's cell number.

_Damn that was fun. These powers are amazing and makes things easy as fuck. It's like taking candy from a baby. Thanks once again Mom and Dad!_

Rebecca slowly makes her way to Jefferson's cell room. Although there are hundreds of prison inmates around her, the sound of her footsteps echos through the hallway. Because it is already dark outside and the poor conditions of the prison, there is barely any visible lighting in the hallway. Using her cellphone's flashlight to guide her way, she finally reaches Jefferson's cell. Through the cell bars, she makes out an old brown-haired bearded white man wearing eye glasses, probably in his 50's, sitting on the corner of his cell room looking down at the floor. He appears to be tatted up and in great shape for a man of his age. She carefully resumes time just for the two of them, with the rest of reality still frozen in time. She knocks on his cell bars and calls out his name.

"Jefferson? Mark Jefferson?"

The bearded man raises his head and is blinded by Rebecca's cellphone light. She realizes this but doesn't turn it off. He begins to ask questions, obviously confused of what's going on.

"W-what? Who's there? Who are you?"

"Mark Jefferson? My name is Rebecca Styles and I"m here to ask you about something...actually about _someone_."

"Huh? What's this about? I don't know who you are. How did you  _even_  get here? There's no women here!"

"That's not important right now. What is important is for you to tell me all you know about...Maxine Caulfield."

"Maxine Caulfield!? That  _name._.."

Jefferson hisses and abruptly stands up to walks around in circles inside his cell. He starts acting like a lunatic and starts pulling his and scratching his head.

"I  _hate_  hearing that name. It brings back terrible memories. I'm here because of that fucking weird ass bitch! Who the hell are you again and why are you bringing up her name in front of me?"

"Because we have something in common Jefferson. Maxine Caulfield is both our enemy. My name is Rebecca and it is my mission is to take her down. However, I'm going to need all the help and information I can get before I do so. It is my understanding that you have claimed that our friend Caulfield is a "witch" and recall different memories of what happened on the night that you were arrested. I might have an explanation for your...experiences...but first you must tell me everything you know about her and about what happened in the week of your arrest."

This calms Jefferson down a bit and he puts his face on the cell bars to get a closer look on Rebecca. He whispers to Rebecca, unaware that nobody can hear them talk.

"So... you know about my experiences? My allegations? My pleas? My nightmares? Do you...believe me?"

"Yes, I do Jefferson. That's why I'm here."

"That's the first time anybody ever told me they believed me. Everybody else completely dismisses them and calls me a nutjob. Wait, why do you believe me? What do _you_ know about Max Caulfield!? Tell me now bitch!"

"You go first Jefferson. I'm not going to tell you again."

"Who do you think you are? You do not order me around! Did Max sent you here to silence me? That's it isn't it? Well, I'm not going out without a fight!"

"No, I am not! You don't get it! I'm on your side! I need your help to get rev-

Jefferson abruptly grabs Rebecca by her hoodie and pulls her against the cell bars. They meet face to face. Although she was caught off guard, she knows that she's not in any real danger.

"Why should I tell you anything huh? What do I gain from telling you about Max Caulfield?"

"Let go of me Jefferson. Before you regret it."

"Not until you tell me about who you really are and what you want from me."

"I already told you what I want from you but fine! I guess I have to do this the hard way!"

Rebecca grabs both of Jefferson's arms and effortlessly overpowers him to remove his grip on her. Jefferson groans in pain and tries his best to slap Rebecca but she easily dodges it. Rebecca takes a step back and extends her right hand. Suddenly Jefferson finds himself levitating three feet from the ground and desperately gasping for air as he feels his lungs being compressed. He tries to yell and scream for help but as hard as he tries, nobody comes to help him. Rebecca chuckles to herself and finally puts him down. Jefferson coughs up blood and struggles to breath.

Before coming to Seattle and during one of her meditations, she discovered she can apply her time powers on individual objects and living things. Similar to telekinesis, she can focus her powers on single or multiple objects and manipulate their movements and functions. However, she has yet to master this ability and has only tried to use it against inanimate objects and bugs. She is quite pleased that she can use her powers to manipulate and distort other's vital organs.

"W-what was that? What the fuck was that? GUARDS! GUARDS! TAKE HER AWAY! SOMEBODY! HELP ME PLEASE!"

"Nobody can hear you scream Jefferson. It's just you and me."

Jefferson desperately pleads for someone to take Rebecca away but he gets no response from anybody. He then realizes that his prison buddies have not moved an inch since Rebecca showed up. They are all frozen in place. There has been no other sound.

"What the fuck is going on here? Why is everybody frozen still? What the fuck did you do?"

"I froze time. Time is frozen for everybody else except for us."

"Y-you froze time!? What the fuck!?"

"Yup that's right! Now listen up Jefferson! Tell me everything you know about Miss Caulfield. Don't make me do that again."

Jefferson finally catches his breath and sits down on the ground. He begins to chuckle to himself at first but quickly turns it into an insane laugh.

"Now I understand."

"Hmm?"

"You both bled from your noses."

"What?"

Rebecca wipes her nose and realizes that her nose is bleeding. She begins to feel a bit lightheaded but manages to keep time frozen.

"Time Manipulation. Caulfield also has that ability, doesn't she? Of course she does! That explains everything!. On the day of my arrest, I clearly remember my plan of killing her and her friend working perfectly as planned. It was the night of the that tornado. I found out that Caulfield and her friend discovered my secret bunker and found the body of a girl I murdered and buried. So I constructed a trap to kill them before they reported me to the police. It worked. I  _know_  it worked! I remember killing her friend in front of Caulfield and then taking her to the secret bunker. I know that happened! I remember every single detail about that night! I clearly remember drugging Max and then taking pictures of her to satisfy my desires. Don't ask. I taunted her. I made her cry. I made her suffer. I was about to finish her off until some mall cop came and tried to rescue her. I kicked his ass. I  _know_  I did. However, apparently none of that ever happened! I was arrested by the police that night and taken to jail. I had memories of events that apparently never took place! How is that possible? It drove me nuts but now I get it. Max Caulfield is a time traveler, just like you. That's how she escaped and changed everything. The dreams and memories that has haunted me throughout the decades now makes perfect sense."

"You drugged her?"

"Yes, I did. It was quite effective! That's probably how I managed to capture her."

_Hmm...being drugged could hinder my ability to rewind time. It's good that I don't do drugs. This could be useful later on._

"So what do you exactly see in your dreams and memories Jefferson? How do you know it's time travel?"

"Because in my dreams and memories I remember having different conversations with Max. I remember her warning the security guard about me before she even knew it was him! I also remember killing that interfering security guy several different times. I can replay each different scenario in my head...like a DVD player. That's the best way I can describe it. I always see myself, the security officer, and Max moving all over the place rapidly between each scenario, like somebody is rewinding or fast forwarding my memories. Deja vu you can say. Tell me Rebecca, can you rewind time?"

"Yes...I can. I suspected she had time manipulating powers. I guess this confirms it. Can you tell me what Caulfield exactly does or how she acts while you see that rewinding effect?"

"Now that you asked, she does something quite curious. She remains still and extends her right hand. Similar to what you just did."

"Hmm...that's it?"

"That's all I know about that. Perhaps it requires physical or mental concentration as well. I'm sure it does. How she was able to get her powers...I would like to know. This world is fucking strange. It's always the weird ones."

_So Maxine Caulfield can manipulate time as well. She needs to extend her hands to rewind time though. I can do it with a mere thought. That might also be useful for later on. I guess this trip wasn't a total waste of time._

"Is there anything else you can tell me about Max's powers and her abilities?"

"I'm afraid not. I wish I knew more though. I would like to know how exactly she managed to escape from me. I guess with magical time travel powers you can do about anything huh? Who knows what she's truly capable of! I didn't drug her enough I'm assuming. Anyways, it doesn't matter now though but thanks to you, I now know I was right about her. I always knew there was something wrong with her. The memories I have are true! I'm not crazy! I knew I was right! I just couldn't explain how! Rebecca, if you can get me out of here, I can help you in your revenge against Max Caulfield. What did she do to you anyways?"

"That's none of your business Jefferson. If you don't have more information, then I have no reason to get you out of here. I don't deal with murderer scum like you."

"Are you Rebecca? I promise I could be a great asset for you. Who knows? I may recall a lost memory that could help you stand up against her. I imagine you already tried to confront her?"

"I met her once already. It didn't go so well. However, it wasn't a direct confrontation. She still doesn't know about my mission and my plot against her. I still have the element of surprise. I already have a plan in motion but I wanted more information of what kind of powers she has and how it works. You helped somewhat in that regard Jefferson. If that's all you know then I'll be leaving now. Thanks a lot."

Rebecca turns her back to Jefferson and starts to walk away but is stopped by Jefferson's desperate pleas.

"Wait Rebecca! I can help you! Let me help you! I want to take down Caulfield as much as you do. We can be a great team! I have...connections...and resources...that can help you!"

"Hmm? Connections? Resources?"

"Yes! I have connections to very powerful people. I have another secret bunker that the police never found about. I have hidden cash, weapons, and tools in that bunker. If you free me, I promise you that everything in that bunker is yours for the taking. You're going to need them!"

"I don't think so Jefferson. You're still a piece of shit murderer. I can't exactly trust you. What do you mean by powerful people though?"

"Politicians. Bankers. Government employees. Rich families."

"Name one of them."

"The Prescotts."

"The Prescotts? From Arcadia Bay?"

"Yes, I have an old friendship with Sean Prescott. He can help us I'm sure."

"His daughter runs the show now. I remember reading that Sean Prescott went into hiding a long time ago. Nobody knows where he is. So stop bullshitting around Jefferson. You obviously don't have any connections if you're here."

"I'm not bullshitting Rebecca. There's so much you need to know about the real world. Sean Prescott may no longer be a public figure but he's out there somewhere. I'm sure of it. He would love to meet somebody like you."

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon Jefferson. I'll be going now. I might have some use for you in the future. I have an idea but until the time is right, you need to stay here. Even if I do release you now, the Caulfields will be alerted and we will lose the element of surprise. We will need to strike immediately if I do get you out of here. So see you later Jefferson. Maybe. I'm sure you know what could happened to you if you talked to anybody about our meeting."

"Don't worry about that Rebecca. I won't tell anybody. I guess you're right about not getting me out of here now. We need to plan things out carefully. I'm looking forward to meeting you again. If you need me, you know where to find me. Think about what I said. FYI. Watch your back. Don't overestimate yourself just because you have those powers. You're not that unique. Trust me."

"Whatever Jeffershit."

Rebecca waves goodbye to Jefferson and makes sure everything is left intact. She rewinds time to the point before she entered the prison but makes sure that Jefferson is unaffected by the rewind.

_I could easily make him forget he ever met me. However, what he said did intrigue me a bit and I really don't want to do that shit over again. I'm sure he will keep his mouth shut. I suppose coming here wasn't a total waste. Ugh. I need to go to sleep. Doing that force choke and all these rewinds has drained me completely. Alright, back to Seattle!_

Meanwhile, Jefferson goes to bed with a smile on his face. He whispers to himself.

"At long last..somebody that can help me take down Caulfield and... _them."_


	21. Last Minute Arrivals and Departures

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Two weeks has passed since Rebecca's meeting with Mark Jefferson. The new semester is just around the corner as well as Rebecca's friends arrival. However, those are the last things on Rebecca's right mind now as she is totally focused on her mission. Rebecca and William have officially entered into a romantic relationship and the two of them have become basically inseparable. However, Rebecca doesn't mind that much since she is having a genuinely good time with William. They just arrived from a small vacation trip visiting Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Hiking, gambling, shopping,drinking,walking around the various cities, and experiencing obvious tourist bait places and events have consumed the last week or so.

During the trip, she gained some intel about his parents, including their past, financial status, family history, and their future goals. She has learned that Chloe is into the stock market, is a multi-millionaire, and is looking for a replacement to be her admin assistant/secretary. William has indicated to Rebecca that he will try to get her that position to build her resume and help her career. Although the idea of working for her enemy disgusts the hell out of her, she can't dismiss the many opportunities and possibilities the job might bring. The work experience can't hurt either. However, despite her best efforts to stay away from Max Caulfield for now, she is unable to get out from having dinner with William's family tonight. This evening William will announce his relationship to his parents, will ask Chloe to get Rebecca the job, and will reveal a surprise that William has hinted all week long.

Rebecca patiently waits inside William's car trying to stay calm by mediating and taking deep breaths. They're currently outside Rachel's school to pick her up to have dinner at a 5-star French restaurant where they will meet the Caulfields.

_Alright Rebecca. You can do this. If shit gets out of hand, just protect yourself at all costs. You're going to be in a public place. Nothing bad is going to happen. Just act cool. Just act like yourself. Treat them...with respect. Just endure it. Your time will come soon enough. Here they come._

From a distance, Rebecca sees Rachel happily running towards William's Tesla and tries to ride shotgun. However, as soon as Rachel sees Rebecca she gets spooked and her joyous smile disappears. Rachel walks away backwards and gets stopped by William. They exchange a few words until Rachel finally agrees to get into the car. She gets into the back seat and puts her My Little Pony backpack away and doesn't say a word to Rebecca. William gets in the car and begins to drive away from the school's parking lot. There's awkward silence in the car for a long minute until William breaks the ice.

"How was your day today Rach?"

"Umm I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"I just don't want to talk about it."

"Something happened today?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what happened Rach. What is it a teacher? A bully?"

"Later okay?"

"You can tell me right now. Rebecca's my friend. She's cool. If something happened or if somebody did something to you, I need to know."

"No, later."

William looks at Rachel's clearly disturbed face and changes the subject. Rebecca just listens to their conversation and looks outside the window.

"What did you have for lunch today?"

"French toast."

"French toast for lunch!?"

"Yeah that's what they gave out today. Anyways, I didn't have any of it because some jerk stole my chocolate milk. I know who did it too. Oops."

"So that's what happened huh?"

"Kind of. Let's talk about something else please. I'll need to talk to mom about it later anyways. I got detention."

"Detention!? How?"

"I stole my chocolate milk back. Let's not talk about it please? I had a rough day. Where are we going to eat?"

"Whoa Rachel. I'm not sure how Mom will react to you getting detention. Pretty sure we all know how Chloe is going to react. Max is another story. Anyways, we're going to Red Cow-French food."

"That sounds great Will. I can't wait."

The awkward silence and tension returns inside the car. Rebecca feels obligated to say something but has nothing to say and knows that Rachel is not in the mood to talk. Before she can make small talk, she is surprised to hear Rachel asking her a question.

"Have you ever had French food Rebecca?"

"No, I don't think I have. Unless you count French Fries." Rebecca and William chuckles but Rachel doesn't laugh or smile at all.

"French Fries are not actually from France. They're from Belgium. So they are not French food."

Rachel's impudent response completely surprises Rebecca and William. Rebecca turns around to look at Rachel, who is staring right back.

_Smartass kid. I knew that._

"You're pretty smart for your age. You know a lot of things don't you?"

"Yes, you can say that. I'm the smartest in my class actually."

"That's good to hear. Intelligence runs in the family I guess."

"Oh yes, my parents are VERY smart just like me. By the way Rebecca, why did you ran out screaming like a little girl at the party? You kind of freaked everybody out when you did that. Did something scare you?"

Rebecca's eyes widen in shock and she turns away from Rachel. William gets confused on Rachel's sudden flamboyant and coarse behavior.

"Whoa Rach! I know you're mad about what happened to you today but don't act like a rude brat. Rebecca got...sick...that's all. I'm sorry about that Rebecca, not sure why she's taking her bad day on you. She's not normally like this."

"No need to apologize Will. Rachel, I'm sure you didn't mean to be rude. Everybody has a bad day once in a while. It's part of life. Anyways, as William said, I got very sick at the party so I needed to leave immediately. I wanted to stay longer but I just couldn't. Do you get it now?"

Rachel smirks and nods her head.

"Don't worry Rebs, I  _totally_  get it."

They finally get to the French restaurant with the Caulfields already waiting for them. Chloe and Max both stand up and look eager to greet her. Rebecca remains calm and walks towards their table, holding hands with William. Rachel runs towards her parents and hugs both of them. Max and Chloe both smile and kiss Rebecca on the cheek as they greet her. Rebecca doesn't return the kisses and just smiles at them as they all take their seats. The waiter arrives to bring them the menus and get their drinks. She takes a good look of the menu but has no idea what to order. The feeling of being carefully observed by everybody at the table doesn't help either.

_Okay what the hell do I order? None of this sounds good._ _Fromage d"Affinois? Vol-Au-Vent? Pâté de Campagne? I can't even pronounce half of this. I found a burger with fries option but do I really want to eat a burger right now? Ugh. I don't like how they are looking at me. Especially that brat Rachel. She's giving me the evil eyes. I could crush her heart right now if I wanted to. She needs to learn not to take out her frustration on others. Besides that though, so far so good. I don't think Maxine and Chloe are onto me yet. Everything is fine. Right. What the hell do I order then? Filet Mignon? That sounds fancy...and I know for sure I have heard that word before on food videos on Youtube. I hope it's good._

As they wait for their food and specialty beverages to arrive, William finally announces his relationship with Rebecca. Max and Chloe seem to be very excited for them. They even propose a wine toast.

"Congrats you two. I wish you guys well." Max Caulfield says.

"Finally had the courage to ask her out eh Will? Good job dude." Chloe winks and smiles as they touch wine glasses.

"Thanks guys." William says as he puts his arm over Rebecca, who smiles back and kisses him in the cheek.

_Just play your role Rebecca. Just play your role._

"Oh! Before I forget! Mom, do you think you can give Rebecca here a job at your company? She needs to build her resume and get work experience."

"Well that depends. What kind of job do you want Rebecca?"

"Oh...umm...William mentioned to me...that secretary or assistant position you have available."

"Well actually, it's currently fulfilled but the person who I hired isn't doing a very good job right now. It's a very tough position though. I'm not the best person to work with to be honest, that's just who I am. I try to only hire and keep the most hard-working, determined, and skilled people. The person I hired is very experienced but I feel she doesn't really care about her job at all. Do you even have experience in business management, healthcare, or in fast paced office environment?"

"Not really. No."

"Then I don't see how you'd be a good fit. Sorry Rebecca."

"C'mon Chloe. Give her a chance. She doesn't have any relevant work experience but trust me, she's very bright and resourceful." William pleads but Chloe shakes her head indicating NO. Rebecca is a bit disappointed but at the same time, is relieved that she doesn't have to work for her enemy. However, Max Caulfield steps in and intervenes as she realizes that Rebecca looks upset.

"Chloe, why not give Rebecca a shot? I see potential in her. Don't you have another position available?"

"Well, I do have a backup receptionist and office admin position available but I don't think Rebecca even qualifies for that one either."

Max looks at Chloe's eyes and touches her hands.

"Chloe, the poor girl needs to find a job. Remember how hard it was for us to even get an entry-level job? She's about to start college as well. Let's help out somebody that our son really cares about."

"Please Mom."

_Poor girl? You little.._

Chloe looks at Rebecca, thinks it over, and nods her head.

"Fine. I'll give you that office admin position. However, just because you're my son's girlfriend, don't expect special treatment from me. You'll be treated the same as any regular employee. Your welcome Will."

"Great! Thanks Mom! I really appreciate it!"

Rebecca smiles and thanks both Chloe and Max. She shakes both of their hands.

"Thank you...Maxine...well...Miss Caulfield"

"No problem dear. Just call me Max please. It's never Maxine."

"Okay... _Max_..."

Meanwhile, Rachel has not taken her eyes off Rebecca during the entire conversation. Rebecca notices Rachel's glare and smiles at her but Rachel doesn't respond at all.

_Stop staring at me you freaky little shit. Ugh just ignore her for now. Well, I got a job at the Caulfield company. That's neat I guess. I'm in the inside now. Step by Step...my revenge is getting closer and closer. As much as I hate to say it, I need to get that secretary position. It will draw me even closer to the Caulfields._

The food finally arrives and Rebecca enjoys the Filet mignon she ordered. She takes a quick glance on Rachel who seems to have observed how she eats but as soon they meet eyes, Rachel stops staring at her and behaves normally the rest of the evening. After they all eat, William once again breaks the silence.

"Since we are having such a good time together, I wanted to reveal something special. Rebecca, how would you like to go Paris and London before school starts?"

"What!? But we just went on vacation?"

"Why not another? College starts in a week. Why not enjoy the free time we still have left? We need to leave by tomorrow afternoon though. So do you want to go to Europe?"

_A Paris and London Vacation as well? This guy knows how to treat a woman well. I'll give him that. Well...since college is coming up and all. Sure._

"Yeah, why not? I never been to Europe before. Why didn't you tell me earlier though?"

"I wanted to surprise you that's all. That look on your face made it all worth it."

"Have fun you two!" Chloe winks at them.

"Enjoy yourselves. You're in safe hands Rebecca. We've been to Paris and London countless times. William knows exactly what to do and where to eat over there." Max explains.

"That's...amazing. I can't wait for the trip."

"Glad to hear that Rebecca."

After dinner, William drops Rebecca off at her dorm room. Exhausted and relieved from the overwhelming tension and anxiety from having dinner with the Caulfields, she immediately goes to bed and calls it a night. After a nine hour sleep, Rebecca gets up and prepares for the flight to London. She packs everything she needs and walks around campus to get something to eat. On her way, she notices William texting on his phone and standing right next to the statue of George Washington.

_Hmm...that's odd. He's here already? It's early still. Looks like he's waiting for somebody. What's going on?_

Rebecca approaches William from behind which spooks him.

"Ah! Don't do that Rebecca!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Why are you here?"

"I told you. I'm waiting to meet a friend from Portland."

"No, you didn't. A friend huh?"

"Yes I did! I texted you this morning to remind you that I was meeting an online friend today so if you needed me I would be close. I guess you weren't listening and didn't get text. Anyways, she'll be here any minute now."

"Oh it's a she?"

"Yes, it's a she. No worries. She's only a friend."

"Oh, I'm not jealous or anything. Just curious. I must've forgotten about your little friendly meeting. I haven't checked my phone in a while either. Because you know...all the fun we been having lately..."

Rebecca smiles and gently caresses William's chin. They begin to make out in front of the statue when William's friend, Stephanie, arrives. Stephanie, Rebecca's childhood friend, stops in her tracks once she sees them kissing. She immediately starts to feel heartbroken and is in complete shock. She drops the gift she bought for him and begins to breakdown. She recognizes the girl he's kissing, it's her best friend Rebecca. She wants nothing more but to walk away but ultimately decides to confront them. She tightens her fists, wipes her tears, and approaches the couple. She taps William on the shoulder and he turns around. Rebecca is completely surprised seeing Stephanie in front of them and is lost for words.

_Oh shit! I forgot all about Steph and Roger. I forgot to tell her about my relationship with William. Oh fuck, this isn't good._

"Stephanie! Steph! It's you! Oh my god, it's so good to finally meet you! Sorry...I was...um...you know.."

"Hi William. I see you're busy now. Let's meet later okay?"

"No no no! Don't go. Sorry, this is my girlfriend-"

"I know who she is. Hi Rebecca, I guess you didn't get my text?"

"Wait, you guys know each other?" William asks as he steps aside from Stephanie approaching and facing Rebecca face to face.

"Oh, she's just an old friend from Portland. Hey Will, can you leave us girls alone? We need to catch up...in private."

"Well-okay then I guess. I'll text you later?"

"Yeah...sure."

"Alrighty then. Rebs, I'm coming to pick you up at 3 okay? Please check your phone and be ready. I'll see you later!"

Rebecca doesn't say a word to William as he leaves. The two of them stare at each other for a long minute until Stephanie finally breaks down.

"How...could you Rebecca? How can you do such a thing?"

"Sorry Steph, it just happened. He was there in my time of need."

"You knew damn well I liked him! You knew about my feelings towards him! You even promised me! You could've at least let me know about it!"

"I'm sorry Steph. I guess I just forgot about you..."

"You forgot about me? After everything we've been through together? No wonder you stopped texting me for weeks! I can't believe this Rebecca. I never would've imagined this!"

"Listen Steph, he clearly didn't reciprocate your feelings. You would've never been his-

Before Rebecca can finish her sentence, Stephanie's left hand connects with Rebecca's cheek causing her head to snap to the side. The slap was so loud that everybody near them stopped what they were doing to figure out what caused that noise. Rebecca clutches her face as the stinging pain from Stephanie's heavy blow overwhelms her. She looks at Stephanie straight in her eyes with anger and shock.

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT REBECCA!" Stephanie shouts with tears flowing from her eyes.

_I need to rewind that. She hit me real good. It fucking hurts so much. Alright, let's rewind this._

Rebecca rewinds time before the slap but is completely surprised to feel that the pain has not gone away. As soon as she realizes this, she can see Stephanie's left hand ready to strike her again.

_What!? Why didn't the pain go away? Oh fuck!_

Stephanie once again slaps Rebecca in the face causing her to fall on the ground. The force behind the two slaps completely overpowers Rebecca causing an ugly red slap mark to be formed on her face.

"We're no longer friends Rebecca. It doesn't seem like you care about our friendship anyways. I really hope we don't get a class together. I never knew it would come down to this. I'm really heartbroken and disappointed right now. Goodbye Rebecca."

Stephanie walks away as Rebecca struggles to get back up. For a moment, Rebecca thinks of seriously injuring Stephanie in retaliation but ultimately decides not do so.

_I deserved that for being stupid. I should've texted her about my relationship with William. I should've known better and checked my messages. Dammit all. I'm not going to try to rewind that slap anymore, I don't want to be bitch-slapped again. It seems like my powers have limits of their own. I need be more careful from now on. How am I going to explain my mark to William? I don't want to be seen in London or Paris like this! I hope I have the proper makeup to cover this. Ow ow ow ow._

Rebecca returns to her dorm room and gets ready for her European vacation. Despite her best makeup efforts, there's still visible traces of the slap mark causing William and others to look at her with strange and worried looks at the airport. Despite all of that, Rebecca and William board their flight en route to London.

**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 22. CONSIDER THIS CHAPTER TO BE END OF "EPISODE 2".**


	22. Playing with Fire

**Chapter 22**

* * *

It hasn't been a good week for 10-year-old Rachel Caulfield as she does her homework alone in her room. She has just finished telling her parents about what happened at school and that she got detention. Despite her best efforts to defend herself and explain her actions, she still got grounded by her parents. Her mother Max was especially worried and concerned while Chloe was fine about her fighting back until she learned about what happened to the thief. After signing her detention slip, they ordered her out of their room to do her homework and go to bed early so they can discuss her punishment in private. Rachel did not like how her parents looked at her when she left the room, looking at her as if they were scared of her. She can feel the mixed emotions of worry, confusion, and fear coming from them.

Another thing keeping Rachel down is that her older brother hasn't been home lately and is in Europe with his girlfriend. Ever since William has met Rebecca, the two siblings have become distant from each other and no longer spend a lot of time together. William would've been helping Rachel right now with her homework and would've defended her actions at school but he wasn't home to do so. Although Rachel doesn't actually need help with her homework half the time, she enjoys her older brother's company so much, she doesn't mind him helping. He always comes up with fun games or reads out loud and gets into character for her reading assignments. Her parents used to do this as well but for the past year, they have completely stopped for unknown reasons. Taking longer than usual, she finally finishes her math homework and puts her head down.

_I miss my big brother so much but he's with that witch Rebecca. He would've understood and defended me. I did nothing wrong! The bully who took my chocolate milk started everything! I didn't mean to cause that much damage to his hands! I have no idea how I burned his hands!_

Rachel plays the scene again in her mind. She remembers going to the cafeteria, waiting in line to get her food, and leaving her food tray on a table to get something from her locker. When she started walking away,in the corner of her eyes, she saw a boy going over where she left her foot tray but thought nothing of it. When she came back, her chocolate milk was gone and her French Toast was half eaten. She looked around in the cafeteria and met eyes with the boy she saw going to her food tray. He was a rather tall, fat, and ginger-looking 5th grader. He was smiling and looking at her direction. She clearly saw an extra chocolate milk carton right next to him. She recognized him by appearance but didn't know his name. He was one of the school bullies who nobody liked except for his fellow bully friends. He has never messed with her or her friends until today. Although he was bigger than she was and he was surrounded by his friends, Rachel showed no fear and confronted him.

"Hey you! Did you steal my chocolate milk and ate my French toast?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you going to my table when I left the cafeteria. I  _know_  you did it!"

"Hmm maybe I did then. What are you going to do about it?"

"Didn't your parents teach you not to steal from others? I'm going to report you the Principal!"

"Oh, are you sure about that?"

The bully stands up and slightly pushes Rachel away from him. He plays with Rachel's purple feather earring and fakes attempt to pull it out from her ear. The bully and his friends crack a laugh. Rachel remains still and gives him the same look she gave Rebecca later that evening. Rachel's glare makes the bully feel a bit uncomfortable so he grabs her left shoulder and whispers to her ear.

"Get lost dork before I hurt you. Don't tell anybody about what you saw or you're going to regret it."

"Let go of me or  _you're_  gonna regret it."

The bully smiles and whispers again.

"I normally don't hit girls but you're making this so difficult. Get lost before I make you cry."

Rachel eyes widens and something the bully sees in her eyes or face forces him to take a step back but it is too late. Rachel takes a hold of his hand and attempts to crush it as hard as she can. She appears to do so once he starts to scream in agony and pleads for her to let go. After another five seconds and seeing various teachers coming at them, she lets go of him but is in total shock once she sees the second-degree burns on his hand. Completely confused, she looks at her hand which seems normal and looks again at the bully's burned hand. The last thing she remembers is getting pulled away from a female teacher and taking one last glance at the burnt hand.

_They gave a 2 week detention for that. Principal Ford told me I would've been expelled if I was the one who initiated everything. I only defended myself but I have no idea how I managed to burn him. I didn't mean to do that at all! It was freaky as hell. I haven't done something weird like that in a while._

Meanwhile Max and Chloe are discussing about what Rachel has told them. They are clearly disturbed and lost for words. They both start pacing around in circles.

"Oh god Max...what if that kid's parents try to sue us? I just got off the phone with the principal. Those burn wounds are pretty bad based from what he told me. Jesus Max...what's going on with Rachel? I thought all those weird things ended a long ass time ago!?"

"Just like my damn nightmares, freaky shit from the past are coming back to haunt us. Something strange is going on and I don't like it one bit."

"I don't like it either Max. Dammit all! I fucking hate this strange ass world! Now it's Rachel's turn again! I can never forget the freaky psychic shit she used to do when she was a toddler!"

"Tell me about it Chloe. Don't forget that imaginary friend she used to have, Laura. I'm glad she forgot about her friend 'Laura' and grew out of it because she was really starting to freak me out when she couldn't stopped talking about her."

"I forgot about her imaginary best friend. There was always strange things about Rachel when she was younger now that I really think about it. Although, she has never harmed anybody until today. I don't want our little girl to go through what we went through! Max...do you think Rachel has real powers like you?"

"I don't know Chloe. I'd hope not but what else explains what happened at school? In any case, I don't think Rachel can control her powers or abilities if she has any. Supernatural bullshit just runs in the family I guess. You're right Chloe. I don't want my daughter to go through what I went through with my powers. Nobody deserves that."

"What should we do Max?"

"We must accept responsibility and pay off the medical bills for that kid. Rachel is gonna hate us for that but oh well. It will avoid any lawsuit and hopefully shush the kid's parents and the local media. We might have to start homeschooling Rachel as well. For the safety of everybody, not just us. We can't risk it."

"Homeschool her? I don't think she's going to like that at all. She has many friends at school and prefers going to public schools."

"I know, she's going to hate my guts and I hate doing that to her but we must keep an eye on her. Who knows what else she might do in the future? I'm sorry Chloe, I know you wanted our daughter to live a normal childhood but there are things out of my control that prevents that from happening. My powers have become a real fucking burden Chloe. If our children get cursed with supernatural powers I will never forgive myself! It will all be my fault!"

"Max...don't you start with that crap again."

Chloe attempts to comfort Max from behind but is quickly brushed off.

"Sorry Chloe but I'm not in the mood. I'm going to visit that kid's parents at the hospital. Going to settle this tonight before it gets uglier. Watch Rachel and makes sure she goes to bed early."

Although Chloe feels upset and is concerned about Max's mental status, she ultimately agrees to do what she says and stays with Rachel. It is unusual for Max to take care of the family finances and problems on her own but Chloe completely trusts her. Before Max leaves, they kiss each other briefly in the mouth and give each other a hug. Chloe can feel Max trembling in fear and wants to keep on holding her but Max gently pushes her away and leaves the house. Unknown to the two of them, Rachel stepped out of her room and listened to some of their conversation. Before Chloe sees her, Rachel quietly walks back to her room, turns off her light, and goes to bed in anger.

_Why do they always try so hard to hide stuff from me? Why can't they discuss whatever they were talking about in front of me? I heard them talking about supernatural stuff. Do they think I'm a freak? Am I...not normal? Is that why they want to homeschool me? To keep me away from society? No! I'm not going to let them do that to me! It's not my fault that I somehow burned that kid's hand! I'm so sick of them being all sneaky and elusive around me. Just because I'm 10 doesn't mean I'm stupid! If I was older...maybe they will listen to me and pay me more respect. I hate being a kid so much right now. I just want to scream my lungs out!_

Rachel punches her bed and screams in her pillow to let out her anger and frustration. When she hears Chloe's bedroom door closing, she decides to watch some TV quietly as possible to distract herself. However, an oddly shaped shadow on her bedroom's window catches her attention. She immediately rushes to open her window to look outside and sees a ghostly doe running in the backyard before vanishing into thin air. She can't help but smile after seeing the doe from the park again. A heavy rain begins to fall as well which comforts her as she loves the rain and wind.

"See you later Laura. You always show up when I need you the most."

* * *

In Paris, after a long day exploring the city, visiting museums, visiting the Eiffel tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and having a romantic dinner followed by a gondola ride, Rebecca and William are cuddling in their hotel room. They begin to kiss passionately for several minutes they stare at each other's eyes for a good minute. William begins to take off his shirt and starts to kiss her on her neck.

_Oh William. You sure know how to treat a woman. What an amazing day. I'm in Paris,with my boyfriend, in a 5-star hotel suite, about to make love in a dark and stormy rainy night after an unforgettable day. This is just too perfect. I really shouldn't have sex with him...but what the hell?_

Rebecca smiles and goes with the flow. For the first time, the two of them make love, in the most romantic city in Europe with pouring rain as their background music.


	23. Singin' In the Rain

**Chapter 23**

* * *

 

"Noo...please...have mercy...please...don't...so this is how it...NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A young woman's scream wakes up an entire hallway of hotel guests in the early morning hours. William also wakes up and instinctively gets up to see if there has been any intruder inside their room but sees nothing out of the ordinary. He turns around and comforts the topless Rebecca who seems to be experiencing a panic attack. Rebecca's heart is racing, her eyeballs moving all over the place, and is desperately gasping for air.

"What's wrong honey? What happened? Did you see something? Hear something? Are you having an asthma attack? Do you want me to call security?"

Rebecca nods her head back and forth and hugs William. As she recovers, Rebecca begins to talk in broken sentences.

"Will...I...just...had...a...nightmare...a terrible...one."

"What was it about Rebs?"

"The thing...is...I don't even remember it...but...I know it...was...fucking scary..."

"Well, don't worry. It was just a nightmare. You're safe with me now."

Rebecca keeps holding William until she regains her composure. Now relaxed and feeling normal, she gets up, puts on some robes, and stares outside the window. The view of the city's night life and the heavy rainfall further calms her down. She people watches as well for a bit then returns to the bed with William, who puts his arm over her as she takes a seat.

"I'm starting to remember a few things Will."

"What are they?"

"Well...I still don't remember how it ended but I  _know_  it was horrible. I  _feel_  like I died. I can't describe it but I have a feeling that I just witness my own death."

"Oh jeez, that sounds completely horrible. I never had a nightmare like that. Well, you're not dead. That's for sure."

"Yeah, I know but it's not a good feeling at all. I recall...seeing flashes of light moving all around me...I was surrounded by a huge ocean...there were...four other people with me. I never saw their faces...they were more like shadows or ghosts. They were after me or something. I was fighting for my life. I saw blasts of...fire...water...ice...wind...rocks...and lightning strikes. It was surreal. Just pure destruction all around me. Yet, somehow...I was fighting back...but...I don't remember anything else. I don't know why I even had a dream like that. That was nothing like that on my mind before I went to sleep."

"Jesus...that does sound scary as hell. I'm sorry that you had to experience that. It was just a nightmare though. None of it was real. You're safe and sound...with me."

"I guess...thanks Will..."

"Anytime Rebs."

William begins to caress Rebecca's hair and back as she ponders what her nightmare might mean.

_Four shadow figures out to get me. Surrounded by an ocean. Flashes and beams of fire, electricity, and water coming at me at tremendous speed and force! It was just a nightmare but it felt so real! Could this be the work of Max Caulfield? Chloe Price? Are they playing mind games on me? Warning signs? I wish I retained more details but oh well. I fucking hate nightmares and dreams now._

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, CEO Chloe Caulfield is scratching her head in confusion at her office. Mayra, Chloe's administrative assistant, has just delivered Rebecca's background check results to her. The nervous 26 year old recent college graduate patiently waits for the next order from her boss. Mayra is an above average height brown-skinned brown eyed Latina woman with eyeglasses, brunette hair tied in a ponytail, and completely dressed in business professional attire. She just graduated from The University of Washington, majoring in business management and she has a background in Economics. Despite her experience and education, she still goes to work everyday feeling anxious and unsure of herself.

"Are you this is accurate Mayra?"

"Yes, Mrs. Caulfield. I tried several background check service companies and the results are the same thing."

"Hmmm...well...this is a bit strange. I never seen this before."

"Should I run another one?"

"No, that should be fine. I'm going to hire her anyways. Begin the new employee process for her. Get me some coffee before you do that though."

"Sure thing Mrs. Caulfield. Anything else?"

"Not right now. I'll call you if I need you Mayra. Shut the door please."

Mayra smiles nervously and rushes to get Chloe's coffee before shutting her office door. Chloe sips her coffee and goes over Rebecca's background check again while sitting in her cozy office chair.

"Miss Rebecca Erin Styles. No work experience. No college degree. No school records until High School. No driving record. No criminal record. Date of Birth October 11, 2020. Place of Birth...Unknown. Parents...Unknown. This is rather odd. It's like she just started existing a couple of years ago. A very clean record. Too clean. October 11 huh? That date sounds familiar. What a mysterious woman my son is dating. She better not be a secret CIA agent or something."

Chloe laughs to herself and finishes her coffee. She files Rebecca's background check and texts Max for an update. Max did not come home last night but she did text her stating that she was with the kid's parents all night at the hospital. Chloe smiles upon seeing Max's reply text stating: "Don't worry. I took care of it. Heading home in a bit. Text later. Love you."

_Good job Max-O! One less thing to worry about. Although we still have to deal with Rachel. She was a handful this morning. I have a feeling she heard us last night. She has been locked inside her room all day and hasn't responded to any of my texts. I hate seeing her like this._

Chloe puts her feet up on her desk and stares at a framed picture of Rachel's first grade school photo.

_Oh my sweet beautiful Rachel. Why did it had to affect you too? You don't deserved to live a cursed life like we did. There has to be something we can do about this. There just has to be! No child of mine is going to suffer like we did!_

Little does Chloe know is that her daughter Rachel is not at her room. Despite the unfavorable weather and being grounded, Rachel decided to get out of the house and went to the park by herself. Even though she isn't allowed to be on her own yet, except for school, she has had it with her parents and William and has decided to have some fun in this beautiful rainy day, even if it's by herself. She gets to the empty park and finds the entire playground to herself and decides to play on the swings. With nobody there to push her, the increasing wind helps her gain momentum before every swing. Rachel is filled with joy and has the best time in a long time. With every swing, the wind and the rain increase dramatically, near thunderstorm level. After swinging for a while , Rachel runs throughout the park fueled by happiness and joy,she begins to sing "Let it Go" from  _Frozen_. For unknown reasons, Rachel feels like she's been liberated or relieved from a burden or something restricting her.

"Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be..."

Even though no ice or snow are coming out from her hands as she dances around the park, she feels empowered and with every swift movement she makes, the weather corresponds somehow. Rachel doesn't think much of it other than finding it completely awesome. She runs all around the park, kicks water ponds, scares the ducks away, chases the squirrels, and rolls around in the wet muddy grass.

"Let the storm rage on!"

Rachel sings out loud as she runs back home with a big smile on face, hoping to get there before her parents do. However, much to her dismay, she finds her mother Max's car parked inside the garage. Instead of running away though, Rachel goes inside and prepares for the worst. Her singing in the rain moment at the park has boosted her confidence and has filled her with bravery and power. Rachel walks inside and finds a dirty muddy shoe trail leading up to the bathroom upstairs. She follows it and discovers that her mother is taking a shower. Knowing that Max has probably already caught that she wasn't home, she decides to have a head start with washing her clothes so she goes to the laundry room only to find that the washer is already being used. She puts her wet dirty clothes in the washer anyway and goes to her room, ready for her punishment. She turns on her bedroom's TV and waits for her mother to get out of the bathroom.

Taking an unusually long time, Max finally exits out, wearing a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel, and immediately calls out Rachel's name, who walks slowly upstairs.

"Rachel! Are you here yet? I need to see you right now!"

"I'm coming Mom."

Expecting a pissed off reaction from her mother, she is completely surprised to see her smiling at her and rushing to give her a hug. As she's being hugged, she notices that her mother's body is too tense and is somewhat shaking. She also feels mixed emotions of sadness, stress, and anxiety coming from her. Max starts whispering to her ear, her voice filled with the emotions she senses.

"My Rachel. I understand that things have been...unusual...lately...but don't worry...everything will be okay. You are no longer grounded my sweet angel. I'm so sorry for grounding you. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault okay? Everything will be fine. I'll make sure of it. I love you so so much. I'll do anything for you okay?"

"Wait...Y-you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No, I"m not sweetie. Just forget that it ever happened okay?"

"OK then..umm...I'm not going to be in trouble for leaving the house?"

"Not at all Rachel. I don't blame you for stepping outside for a bit. You're just a curious kid. There's nothing wrong with that. Now, how about some lunch huh?"

"Heck yeah! I'm hungry mom!"

"Sweet me too. It was a long night. I'll make something in a bit. I love you Rachel."

"I-I love you too Mom."

Max holds her confused daughter Rachel tightly and gives her a kiss on the cheek before going to her room to get dressed. Rachel is left puzzled but relieved that everything turned out fine.

_What a wonderful day!_

* * *

"So Rebecca, I was told you have no experience huh?"

"Yeah, that's the thing."

"Hmm...I wonder why Boss hired you."

"Excuse me!?"

"Well, she doesn't normally hire people with no experience or education. I'm just curious that's all. It does explain why you're not really getting this though. "

"Listen Mayra, it's my first day. Of course I'm going to be slow, but trust me, I'm getting the hang of it."

"I suppose you're right Rebecca. We do have a two week trial in place for a reason. Alright, go ahead and take your lunch. We'll train more when you come back. Feed your brain, you're going to need it."

Mayra leaves Rebecca's cubicle and goes to Chloe's office to discuss Rebecca's first day so far. Rebecca and Mayra are not getting along at all but Rebecca has no idea why. Since the moment they met, Mayra has given her the stink eye and seems to be bothered by her mere presence. Rebecca does not like one bit of Mayra's sarcastic tone and smartass behavior. She has behaved professionally as possible so far but it seems that Mayra has decided to hate her from the start.

_What is the deal with her? I haven't done anything wrong so far but she is already attacking me. She clearly doesn't like me at all. That isn't good. I don't know what to do about this, she's my supervisor after all. If I went straight to Chloe, she might not believe me or will claim that I'm brining trouble already on my first day. I just have to endure it until I can't take it no longer. Who does she think she is though? She's just Chloe's little pet, following her every order like a damn dog...well bitch to be exact. This job so far is too boring...just data entry and filing papers. Yawn. I can do this in my sleep but of course, the bitch is saying that I'm not getting it and that I'm too slow. What a joke. Damn...I'm wasting my lunch hour just sitting here at my empty cubicle. Damn, I don't know much about this side of Seattle. William is at football practice, otherwise he'd take me to lunch. I just need to find something local that looks good, eat, then come back for more torture in less than one hour. Dang._

As Rebecca clocks out and wonders around the block to find something to eat, she bumps into a homeless old man sitting outside a neighboring building. She immediately apologizes and makes sure he's alright until she recognizes the man. It's the same man from the bus station, wearing the same exact clothing as last time. Feeling sorry for him, Rebecca retrieves a few dollars from her purse but the man refuses to take it. They both smile at each other as soon as they recognize each other.

"Hello there young pretty girl. How's Seattle treating you?"

"Why hello there...sir. Seattle has been great so far. I've met some new friends. College is going great. I just started my job. My apologies for bumping into you and almost making you fall. I wasn't paying attention at all. Here, take my change. I'm making up from last time. It looks you need it."

"Nonsense my young child. A couple of dollars won't change my situation. Keep it. On that note, I'm glad that we bumped to each other again. I didn't forget about that beautiful face of yours and I have been wanting to see you again. I want to give you this."

The bearded homeless man takes out something from his pocket. It's a gold multi-gemstone ring, consisting of a red,green,and blue colored gemstones. It's remarkably beautiful and shiny, catching Rebecca's attention immediately.

"Take it. It's a pretty ring for a pretty girl like yourself. It used to belong to someone special that I knew...but...I don't have any further use for it. I was told it brings good luck and grants you long desired wishes but I have yet to seen any of that. I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo anyways. Please...take it."

"Are you sure? Why can't you pawn it somewhere? This is a very beautiful ring you know, I'm sure it's worth something."

"It's valueless to me. Take it. You'll be doing me a favor."

"Well...thank you kind sir...you made my day..."

"I'm glad to hear that. I hope to see you soon pretty girl."

"See you sir."

Rebecca walks away from the homeless man, in complete awe as she stares at the gold ring given to her. She doesn't hesitate to put it on and stare at it from different angles.

_Wow...this is one beautiful ring and it was for FREE! I mean...it came from a dirty old homeless man but it's CLEAN as fuck! Holy shit...this must be worth a couple thousand at most. That guy is crazy for just giving it to me. Well, I'll wear it proudly. A shitty day like today turned into an awesome day just like that! I can't wait to see Mayra's reaction of it or any of the Caulfield's! Not even they wear jewelry this expensive I think. Enough of that though, it's lunch time and I'm fucking hungry after a horrible morning. I just can't get that woman from my head. If Mayra doesn't improve her act towards me, then I must do something about it. I can't jeopardize this opportunity._


	24. Office Drama

**Chapter 24**

* * *

 

"I don't know Roger...I just don't know..."

"Steph! I know what she did to you was pretty heartbreaking but we made a promise to her..."

"She didn't care about my promise! Why should I keep hers?"

"Are you really thinking of spelling the beans to Max Caulfield?"

"Maybe. I wish I could tell William that Rebecca is out to get them. He probably won't believe me though. He's so fucking in love with her. Sigh."

"I don't know about this Stephanie...I think you're taking this too far."

"Roger! I know you're in love with Rebecca and all but what she pulled off is a total bitch move! It's just payback, that's all."

"But she apologized to you several times! William has too! I mean...you guys weren't officially together...you can't predict true love! It can strike at any time..."

"I DON'T CARE! I couldn't care less how many sorry cards and flowers she sends me! I will never forgive her for that!"

Stephanie points at the trashcan next to her and puts her head down on her desk.

Indeed, Stephanie, Rebecca's former best friend, is still upset after finding out that Rebecca and William are together. Despite Rebecca's best efforts to reconcile, Stephanie has refused to get over it and has thrown away every gift Rebecca has given her. Thankfully, they have no classes together but do live in nearby dorms. They have cross paths a few times, but they simply ignore each other. Roger is still friends with Rebecca but their communication has died down and they have yet to hang out at all. While Roger is disappointed to see Rebecca in love with another man and putting that man above him and Stephanie's friendship, he still objects to Stephanie's idea of telling the Caulfield's about Rebecca's plans.

"Look Steph, I know you're going to swing at me for saying this but there's plenty of fish in the sea..."

Stephanie abruptly gets up and pinches Roger on his cheek.

"You were right Roger! Don't ever say cliche phrases to me! Anyways, it's not so much about the guy. I mean...yeah...maybe it is...but she broke my promise. She simply forgot about us. She put herself over her friends...after everything we have been through! Besties don't do that to each other! He was the one...I just know he was...Dammit all! Plus, I saw them kissing AGAIN the other day! Errrr!"

Stephanie, in a fit of rage, throws everything at her table to the ground and storms out of her dorm. Roger quickly follows.

"Wait! Hold up Steph! Where are you going?"

"I don't know Roger but don't follow me, I'm pissed off!"

"You're going to tell the Caulfields about Rebecca aren't you?!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I do feel like slapping a ho just about now. Perhaps that would make me feel better. I'll text you later."

Roger stops following Stephanie and sees her leaving, and stands there with a conflicting and worried look on his face. He starts walking back to his dorm, thinking of which side to pick, and tries to decide what to do in this situation. Concerned about what may happen, Roger texts Rebecca about Stephanie's possible actions and quickly gets a response stating, "Thanks for the heads up Roger xoxo." The text somewhat comforts him but he doesn't exactly feel like he did the right thing. Too anxious to stay at his room, he decides to follow Stephanie after all but gets surprised once he sees her walking back to his dorm.

"Steph! Steph! What happened!?"

"You warned her didn't you?"

Steph's frustrated face says it all. She already knows the answer to her question but wants to hear him say it.

"Uh...maybe..."

"Dammit Roger! Well, she wasn't at her dorm anyways. She tried to call me and then she texted me that she wanted to talk to me in private. I was going to say no of course but her voicemail got to me. She brought up an old childhood memory of ours. Fucking bitch...she got to me. I'm going to give her one last chance to make up. She's suppose to meet up with me tonight."

"Hey that's great! Maybe you guys can get along like the good old days! You two can definitely work something out for sure!"

"I don't think so Roger. Our friendship can never be the same I'm afraid. She has to beg me not to say anything. She has to get on her knees and everything. We'll see what happens. Anyways, I'll be back in my room letting off some steam. See ya. "

* * *

Meanwhile, the Caulfield's daughter, Rachel, is enjoying some fast food at home after her first day back at school. Somehow, her mother Max has managed to convince the school board to reverse their suspension on her. It was quiet a strange day for her. Her friends, classmates, and even teachers seem to have avoided her for the most part. Every time she entered a room, the room went completely silent and her friends only made small talk with her at lunch time. Rachel did expect this kind of reaction towards her after what happened but is hopeful that it fades away sooner than later. The bully who provoked her was nowhere to be seen. She enjoys her burger in peace as her mother, Max, watchers her in awe. Ever since that rainy day at the park, her parents have treated her better, especially Max. They have started to do afternoon activities together like going to the aquarium, rock climbing, and painting. Max has resumed to read her stories at night and help her out with their homework. Her mother has been there the moment she goes to sleep and the moment she wakes up. Some children might consider this to be overkill and annoying, but Rachel doesn't mind one bit. Rachel finishes her food and smiles at her mom.

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too sweetie. What do you want to do today after you finish your food?"

"How about some board games mom?"

"Sure! William and your other mother aren't here though...maybe we should wait for them?"

"Hmm okay! Let's watch some TV then!"

"Oh...watch TV? Hmmm... how about we go to the park instead? Maybe I'll let you use one of my cameras to take some pictures?"

"Oh my god! No way! You never let me use any of your fancy cameras! You really mean it?"

With a heartwarming comforting smile, Max nods in agreement.

"Yup!"

"Let's go then!"

Rachel hugs her mother and they leave their house to walk to the park, holding hands.

* * *

At the same time, Rebecca Styles is at the break room taking her afternoon break. Only an hour to go until she calls it a day but time is going painfully slow for her. She has already gotten tired of following her supervisor's orders and doing the same tedious tasks every single work day. The situation with her friend Stephanie isn't helping her mood at all.

_One more hour to go. It's days like these that I wish I could forward time too. I just want to get out of here and talk to Steph to settle things. I may have to use my rewind powers to convince her not to say anything. I haven't fully recovered since the last time I used them though. Oh darn, looks like my break is over already! Dammit all!_

Rebecca begins making her way towards her cubicle, wearing high heels, and walks past by several departments and offices. She passes through Chloe Caulfield's office and notices that the door is closed as usual but she can hear an argument going on. Fueled with curiosity, Rebecca looks in all directions to see if anybody is watching her and decides to eavesdrop. She immediately recognizes the voices of Chloe and Mayra, arguing about something or someone. Chloe seems to be upset over something Mayra did, who is trying her best to defend herself but Chloe isn't having any of it.

"I lost 50 grand because of your mistake Mayra! I can't keep going like this!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Caulfield! I thought that it was going to work-"

"You thought wrong! Didn't school teach you  _anything_? Why did you take out 60k in student loans for? I'm not impressed Mayra...not at all... "

"Mrs. Caulfield...please...It won't happen again! I'll be extra careful next time. I promise!"

"Whatever you say Miss Flores. I won't fire you...but I would need to lower your wage. I'm sorry. If you do well for the next month, I might reinstate it. I hope you understand."

There's a long silence in the room before she hears Mayra breaking down. Chloe seems to sigh in frustration.

"Don't cry in front of me Miss Flores. I know you probably thought life was going to be a cakewalk after you got your degree but you're dead wrong. Life is tough kiddo. Wipe away your tears...you're not a baby anymore. Go back to your department. I'll see you tomorrow."

Upon hearing that, Rebecca walks away as fast as possible back to her cubicle. She resumes her work while waiting for Mayra to check on her. After several minutes, Mayra does show up but doesn't say anything. It seem that she has tried her best to wipe away her tears but Rebecca still notices them. Feeling a tad sorry for her, Rebecca decides to pay her a visit after the work day is over. She sees her slowly working at her cubicle while listening to music. Mayra notices her and removes her earphones. Her face goes from sorrow to frustration upon facing Rebecca.

"What do you want Miss Styles? Your day is over."

"Well...I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be upset about something. Is something wrong?"

"It doesn't concern you Rebecca. Get out of my face now. I'll see you tomorrow... _unfortunately_."

_Oohh this bitch. I try to be nice for once and this is how I get treated? Enough is enough._

"Mayra...why do you hate me so much? I'm trying to be nice and friendly towards you but you still treat me like shit! What did I ever do to you?"

"Rebecca. Please. Not now."

"Yes now! Tell me...why don't you like me? Ever since I set foot inside this building, you've treated me like shit! Did I kill your dog or something? What's up with that?

Mayra abruptly gets up, gathers her belongings, and tries to walk away but Rebecca stops her from behind.

"Answer my questions! Why are you acting this way towards me?"

Mayra turns around, with tears in her eyes, and looks right into Rebecca's eyes.

"How would you like it if you worked at dead-end jobs, were forced to take care of your parents at an early age, and studied for  _YEARS_  to earn a degree...only to finally get a real job...to get paid  _LESS_  than a BIMBO who has NO experience and NO knowledge of what we do HERE?! Goodnight!"

Mayra storms out of the office, leaving the shocked and angered Rebecca behind. Some of her co-workers who heard the fiasco are as shocked as she is. None of them seem to know what to say to Rebecca so they decide to pretend that they didn't hear anything. Rebecca remains still for a long minute until she finally snaps out of it.

_Bimbo!? Did that bitch just call me a bimbo? Oh it's on now! She's so going to get it! So, I'm getting paid more than her? Holy shit that's pathetic! I could see why she hates me. I could easily get her ass fired now. Time to tell Big Boss about what she called me. Dammit...she left already and William isn't picking me up today because of football practice. I'll just talk to the boss tomorrow morning before I clock in. What a fucking day! Could it get any worse?_

Rebecca gets a ride back to her dorm and gets ready for Steph to arrive. As she's getting her room cleaned and ready, the burnt journal falls from her bed. She picks it up carefully and dusts it off.

_This ugly thing. I completely forgot that it was under my bed. I should take better care of it but I can't just leave this lying around for someone to see or take away._

Rebecca opens the journal to take a look before putting back under the bed but one of the pictures falls down. She picks it up and notices that it's the butterfly photo the police found at her house. She hasn't looked at it since that day. The photo hasn't intrigued her much, as it's only a picture of a butterfly on a bucket. However, she carefully analyzes it more and notices that there is a reflection of someone on the picture itself. She stares at and starts to make out a face.

_Is the person taking the photo the real killer of my parents? Is she related to Max Caulfield? Maybe she is Max Caulfield. Why would she leave this photo behind? Why would she carry it at all? What's the meaning of this photo? Is there any meaning at all? I wish I knew...I wish I could go back in time and see what's this photo is really about..._

She lays out the photo on the desk and focuses on it. She tries her best to rewind time as far as she can but only manages to rewind back five minutes. This rewind takes a toll on her body and forces her down on her knees. Ready to give up her futile attempts to go back further in time, she decides to put the photo back with the journal and forget about it. However, she notices that the photo seems to be popping out and moving. In a panic, she drops the photo on the ground. At the same time, she realizes that the golden ring on her hand is starting to shine brightly. She picks up the photo and stares at it. Before she knows it, her entire body gets devoured into the photo itself.

In an instant, she finds herself somewhere she has never been before. She looks around and sees that she's at a bathroom, with a short white girl in front of her. The brown-haired girl, who stands 5'5, and wearing the same backpack as the girl she saw in her dreams, quickly goes for cover upon hearing the bathroom's door being pried open. Unable to move a single inch or speak, she looks at the scared girl and recognizes her.

_That's...Max Caulfield! A younger version of herself! She's the same girl I saw in my dreams! But how? What is this? What's going on? Where the hell am I? I can't move at all...this ring...is shining so bright...but Maxine doesn't seem to see me! What the fuck is happening? Who is this kid? He seems...strange...he's rambling to himself. Wait...this kid...I saw him before...the journal has a picture of him! What? Who's that now? No way! That's Chloe! She looks...badass I have to admit. Nobody has noticed me yet though. Am I invisible? I can hardly hear them but they seem to be arguing about something. Wait, what the fuck? He pulled out a fucking gun! Why isn't Max doing anything? Oh shit! He shot her! Holy shit! She's...DEAD!? But HOW!? This doesn't make any sense! Wait...something is happening! Hold on...this is just like...my rewind!_

Before her very eyes, the event she just witness plays out in reverse. The rewinding effect stops the moment Max puts the butterfly photo away and hides. However, this time she realizes that Max is on alert and seems to be ready to engage. Max picks up a hammer and shatters the fire alarm before the guy shoots Chloe. Rebecca watches in amazement as she sees Chloe kicking the guy away from her and leaving the bathroom. Max leaves the bathroom as well once the armed kid runs away from the scene.

_Did I just witness...Max's time rewind powers? She must've figured out a way to rewind time and save her future wife. The first time she freaked out but the second time...she was prepared for what was about to happened. I think I just learned the meaning of this photo...but this just raises more questions! My ring...is still shining...did it...pulled me into the photo? I just time traveled back twenty or so years back to the past! This is so incredible! I can't believe it! How the-wait...I can move now! It's time to follow Max around and see what's else I can learn from this timeline!_

Rebecca opens the door but sees nothing outside the door. It is completely pitch black. Suddenly, a massive invisible force starts to pull her into the darkness. She tries her best to hang onto the bathroom's walls but quickly loses her grip. She wakes up to see Stephanie and Roger's worried faces looking at her. She gasps for air and coughs up blood. She feels like she's been rescued from drowning.

"Rebecca! Rebecca! Are you okay? Are you fine? Roger was about to call 911 until you woke up. What happened!?"

"S-Steph? W-what...happened?"

Her friends help her sit up and hold onto her. Stephanie offers her a cup of water. Rebecca takes deep breaths and tries to regain her compsure.

"I don't know Rebs! I walked in and saw you totally passed out! I tried to wake you up but you didn't respond at all! I called Roger for help. You had me so worried Rebs! That was fucking scary! Do you want us to call 911?"

Rebecca nods her head back and forth and speaks to Steph in broken sentences.

"N-no...I think I'm fine...just needed some water...hey Steph...I'm sorry about...what happened. I fucked up pretty bad. I don't deserve to have you as a friend."

"Don't even think about that right now! What's most important right now is your well being! Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Do you...want me to tell William?"

"No, he doesn't need to know. I'm sure this was a one time thing. I feel better away! Thank you Steph. I really appreciate your help."

"Anytime Rebs. I'll be here to check on you just in case anything else happens!"

Stephanie gives Rebecca a bug which she gladly returns. Roger smiles upon seeing his friends making up.

_Okay...so everything worked out between me and Steph. Sweet. Making up with her and hugging her actually makes me feel...amazing. I guess I'm glad I went through a mind fuckery time experience after all. Waking up and choking on my blood wasn't fun at all though. I need to find that old man who gave me this ring. He was right! This ring is something special. It can bring you good luck, however, could that really be considered good luck? I guess I have to wait and see. I'm slowly cracking this case wide open Maxine Caulfield. Your mistakes will cost you greatly!_


	25. A Dramatic Meeting

**Chapter 25**

* * *

 

_Dammit! Where is he? I can't find that old man anywhere! Ugh... my feet are killing me. It was not a good idea to walk around town, searching for somebody on heels. Fuck me dead!_

Rebecca has spent her Thursday morning looking for the homeless old man who gave her the gem ring. She has tried the area where she last bumped into him, the nearby park, and the bus station where they originally met. There has been no sight of him. Rebecca couldn't sleep after what saw last night. It was an experience too bizarre and unexplainable, that she spent all night long thinking about it and trying to make sense of it. Hopefully to understand things better, she gets up early in the morning and beings to look for the old mysterious man to find out if he knows anything more about the ring.

After walking around at the bus station for a while, she sees a group of homeless people gathered around on a corner. She approaches them and asks if they know where the homeless man is.

"Hi! Good morning everybody! Excuse me but umm...would anybody know where a particular homeless guy is? He wears glasses, he has a white beard, he pretty much looks like Santa Claus. I saw him hanging around here a month ago. Do you any of you know whom I may be talking about?"

The homeless people laugh and try to shoo her away.

"Little girl. You just described every homeless guy in town. Please go away pretty rich girl. You look lost. This isn't a place for you."

Rebecca gets frustrated but leaves them alone. As she is about to give up and leave the neighborhood to go to work, in the corner of her eyes, she spots a man slowly approaching her from behind. She turns around and recognizes the man as the homeless Santa Claus, wearing the same exact clothing as last time. He is carrying a coffee cup and looks confused to see her there.

"Why hello there my friend. What brings you here this morning? Don't you have school?"

"H-Hi umm sir. N-No I don't have classes today. I do have work though. "

"Oh, I see. Hmm...perhaps you were looking for me?"

"Yes, sir. I need to ask you some questions."

"Oh, what kind of questions?"

"It's about the ring you gave me. I need to know everything you know about it. Where did you get it from? What does it mean or represent? I need to know the history behind it."

The homeless man sips his coffee and smiles at her.

"My my could it be? The ring...did it grant you a wish? Hmmm?"

"N-no. Don't be silly. I'm just...curious. That's all. It's a...pretty colorful ring. I wish to know more about it."

Both Rebecca and the old man look at the thing for a few seconds before facing each other again. The homeless man spits on the ground and clears his throat.

"Well Rebecca, as I already said, the ring belonged to a very special person in my life. After she passed, I kept this ring in memory of her. She told me the ring has been passed around in her family from generation to generation. The ring supposedly brought good luck and sometimes even granted wishes per family legend. Of course, she never truly believed those kind of fairytales but her mother and her grandmother apparently did. She was convinced that it wasn't nothing more than a childhood tale but her mother insisted otherwise. That's all I know about it my friend. The ring is pretty but it has been a burden for me to carry around after all these years. Believe me Rebecca, I  _tried_ everything but I never got it to work. Yes, even I was so desperate to try to see if the ring was truly magical, but nothing ever happened. Silly me."

The homeless man sips more of his coffee and stares at the puzzled Rebecca who is scratching her head and looking at the ring.

_That's it? That's all he knows? Apparently it belonged to his wife or something. He said it grants wishes and brings good luck, but whatever I experienced last night...could that really be considered good luck? Did it really grant a wish? I do remember wishing to know more about that butterfly photo. Maybe the ring did grant me that wish. Should I tell him about this? I don't know why, but I have a feeling he knows more that he's not telling me. How the hell do I explain all of this to somebody else though?_

Rebecca checks the time and realizes that's there's only twenty minutes until she has to clock in for work. She immediately orders a cab and gets ready to say goodbye to the homeless man.

"Going so soon lass?

"Yes sir. I need to be at work pretty soon.

"Hmm...alright then. You don't look ready though. Not at all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just look at yourself. You're a mess my dear friend. All that makeup and nice suit doesn't hide it. You look lost. Confused. Uncertain about something. It's like you just witness something traumatic. What's going on with you? All the questions about the ring and the fact you were here looking for me clearly says something, doesn't it?"

Rebecca hesitates to respond. She takes turns looking at herself on a nearby window, at the ring, and at the strange old man. The homeless man's words got to her pretty good. The homeless man finishes his coffee and crushes the cup. Her taxi shortly arrives and honks at her. She wipes away her sweat and gets ready to get inside the car but decides to approach the man once more. She whispers to his ears.

"Okay. I'm not sure why, but I feel like I could trust you. Are you sure we never met before?"

The man thinks about it for a second and shakes his head.

"Unlikely."

"Well, the ring... it  _did_  something last night. It did something truly... _amazing_. I want to tell you about it...because I have a feeling that you know more than you are telling me. Maybe you'll shed some light about what I experienced last night?"

"Perhaps. Who knows?" He answers intriguingly.

The two of them share a chuckle. The man takes out something from his pockets, writes something on a piece of paper, and gives it to her.

"We can meet there. Nobody will bother us there."

The homeless man walks away and waves goodbye to her. She gets inside the car and opens up the folded up note. There's an address and a strange 'M' shaped symbol on it. She realizes that it's the zodiac sign for Scorpio.

_Everything just has to be so fucking creepy doesn't it? Ugh._

After barely beating the morning rush hour, Rebecca rushes through the lobby and elevator to clock in before her shift begins. With only a minute to spare, Rebecca brisk walks by the CEO's office and gets spooked upon hearing her name being called from the office. It was clearly Chloe's voice shouting her name.

"Rebecca! Get in here! We need to talk!"

Rebecca rolls her eyes and turns around to waalk into her office. Upon entering, she notices that Mayra is also inside the office with Chloe, sitting down. Mayra seems to have cried again and visibly looks upset and frustrated. Her face doesn't change at all upon seeing Rebecca walk inside. Chloe, who's smoking a cigarette, and wearing a blue blazer this morning, orders her to shut the door and take a seat. Rebecca obliges.

"Alright Rebecca now that you're here, let us proceed. Mayra has told me about what happened between you two yesterday. While I have already discussed with Ms. Flores the company's code of conduct, I felt the need to arrange a meeting with you two to further deliberate..."

Chloe stops in mid-sentence and begins laughing to herself. The laugh even causes her to develop a nasty cough for a minute or two. Mayra gets up to get Chloe a glass of water while Rebecca remains sitting there trying to figure out what's so funny. After Chloe drinks some water and her cough goes away, she finally continues the meeting.

"Sorry...I'm so sorry-But I couldn't help myself. When I was talking a minute ago, it reminded me about my damn high school principal. I sounded just like him! Oh god I can't believe it! Good ol' Principal Wells. Rest in peace my man. Rest in peace."

Chloe keeps chuckling to herself and drinking water at the same time. Both Rebecca and Mayra nervously laugh with her. Chloe slams her glass of water down on her desk and clears her throat.

"Anyways, let's cut to the chase. Mayra insulted you yesterday. She wants to apologize to you Rebecca. Mayra?"

"Yes m'am."

Mayra turns her chair to face Rebecca and tries her best to appear apologetic but Rebecca immediately recognizes the fakeness.

"Rebecca. I'm so so sorry about what I said to you. I didn't know what came over me. I've been just so stressed and...frustrated about my personal life lately that I took it on you. I'm sorry for the things I said. I didn't mean a single world of it! I hope you accept my apology."

Although Rebecca can sense the bullshit coming from her supervisor's mouth, she has more important things on her mind to even care about her. She will deal with Mayra later. Rebecca grabs Mayra by her hands and gets closer to her face. She looks straight into her eyes.

"Thank you...Mayra for apologizing to me. It means a lot to me. I forgive you. Let's just work together! Like it should be! I'm sure we can be really good friends later on!"

Rebecca can see the disgust on Mayra's face but she eventually nods her head and agrees with Rebecca.

"I'm  _so_  happy to hear that Rebecca. Let's just pretend that never happened and start over. If that's okay with you..."

" _Of course_  it's okay with me Mayra."

They awkwardly shake hands and Mayra leaves the office to start her day. Rebecca also gets up to leave but gets interrupted by Chloe, who begins to cough pretty bad once again. This time, Rebecca gets her boss a glass of water and Chloe orders her to remain at her office.

"Damn bronchitis. It's killing me." Chloe says under her breath.

"Are you alright Mrs. Caulfield?"

"Hella fine Rebecca." Chloe says while smoking another cigarette.

"Can you keep this a secret?"

"Keep what a secret?"

" The fact that I'm smoking. Not just from the auditors and the corporate office, but from my family. William and my wife cannot know that I'm smoking again. They would lose their minds if they find out. Please don't tell them."

"Okay. I won't tell them at all. You have my word."

"That's good to hear. I hate myself for smoking again but things have just been too hectic here. I keep losing...well...look at me! Sorry for rambling on about myself and stuff you don't care about. So how are you? How's things? Do you like the company? The job position?"

"Oh no don't be sorry. You seem to be going through rather difficult times Mrs. Caulfield. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm afraid all you can do for me is make my son happy. You're already doing that so keep it up."

Rebecca blushes and smiles.

"Thanks Mrs. Caulfield."

"Call me Chloe kiddo."

"Fine. Chloe...you said you were losing something. Losing what?"

"Business. My businesses aren't doing too well. Mayra is part of the reason why but ultimately, this past year has been nothing but horrible for me. Please keep these secrets as well. Max will go nuts if she finds out. I'm only telling you this because you are part of the company and can easily find out anyway by going into the company's files. However, nobody else, except for Mayra, knows that it's impacting my personal investments as well."

Rebecca gets taken back from these revelations. Chloe seems to be completely devastated or maybe even drunk. Chloe looks like herself, all lost and confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Chloe. I hope things will get better for you and the family."

"They have to get better. I can't afford to fail. I have a family to support. I'm sure things will be fine no matter what, but I have my own personal goals and plans that I NEED to accomplish. My bronchitis isn't helping either. It's gotten pretty bad lately. I have a doctor's appointment later this week. I'm going in for a pulmonary function test and a CAT scan. I know shouldn't smoke or drink anymore but...my job is stressing me out!"

Chloe puts her cigarette out and drinks all of her water in one shot. She grabs another cigarette from her pocket but throws it out the window to stop herself from smoking it. She grabs her hair and stares at the computer screen.

Rebecca is unsure what to say to her and decides to leave her be but not before bringing up Mayra.

"Hey Chloe, I know this is none of my business, but if Mayra is causing too much problems, why not let her go?"

"Because I don't have anybody else to help me manage the finances. I've hired six different people for her position this year alone and none of them work out. Mayra has had some success in the past so that's why I'm still keeping her around. I just can't seem to find the perfect candidate. I also can't do it all by myself. I have a shitload of duties to do every single day. I would only stress myself out even more if I fired her now."

Chloe massages her head and tries to concentrate on her work, only to stare back at the cigarette she threw away.

"Well...maybe I can help you?" Rebecca suggests quietly.

Chloe shakes her head and doesn't even look at her and keeps staring at the computer screen.

"You don't have any experience nor any degree. I appreciate your help and concern, but I need someone who knows what they're doing. No offence. Anyways, don't worry about Mayra. That's my problem. I already disciplined her for her actions. If she insults again, let me know as soon as possible."

"Ok then. None taken. So...if you don't need to me for anything else, I'll start my day."

"Very well. I'll see you soon. Shut the door please after you leave."

Rebecca exits the room, grabs Chloe another glass of water, and shuts the door. She gets one last glimpse of Chloe putting her head down on her desk and sees her grabbing something from a drawer.

_I kind feel bad for her. She looks so exhausted and upset. There has be something I can do to help me...I mean...help her regarding her money problems. I really need to gain her trust. I'm sure there's more stuff I can learn about her and Max Caulfield if I get closer to her. But how? What can I do?_

As Rebecca makes her way to her cubicle, she bumps into Mayra who tries her best to control herself from lashing out.

"Rebecca, can you meet me at the small conference room right now? I need to talk to you one on one. Follow me."

Rebecca rolls her eyes but accepts.

_What is it now?_

The two of them step inside the conference room and they take seats. Mayra leads the conversation.

"Listen Rebecca. Let's just get a few things straight. I don't like you and you don't like me. My apology was sincere but everything else was bullshit. As much as I don't like it, we're co-workers. We just have to work together as best we can."

Rebecca cannot believe her ears. She wants nothing more but to slam Mayra's head on the desk and demand to know what's wrong with her.

"What do you mean I don't like you? When did I ever say that?"

"You didn't but I could tell by your body language and how you speak to me. It's been obvious since the moment we met."

"B-but-but!?"

"Oh just say it Rebecca. Anyways, my point is: Don't mess with me and I won't mess with you. We'll work together but we will never become friends. I'm sure you can live with that because I sure can. I know things about you that I don't think you would like others to find out. So just watch it, capiche?"

"Wait wait wait hold on. What do you mean by that?"

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

"No, I have no idea. Enlighten me.  _Please._ "

"Nah. It will be more fun this way. Just remember, if you don't mess with me. I won't mess with you. See you at work."

Mayra winks at her before leaving the room and shutting the door, leaving the confused and startled Rebecca behind.

_This fucking bitch. She's bluffing right? Of course she is! I'm sure of it! What could she possibly know about me? Dammit! I just want to choke her to death now. Ugh...take it easy Rebecca. She's not worth it. Just play her little game. You have more important things to deal with at this time. She's a nobody. Don't waste time on her yet. Just go with the flow...dammit I just wanna scream right now. I think I'm starting to hate her more than Max Caulfield! Holy shit, how is that possible!?_

In the meantime, Rachel Caulfield is waiting for her mom to pick her from school. She waits outside the main gates with the other children at the pickup zone. It was a good day for her, she passed a math pop quiz, had a good lunch, and her friends and teachers have treated her normally again. It's like nothing ever happened. Although she's glad about that, she's also been worried for the bully she burnt. He has still not returned and nobody seems to know what happened to him. She looks at the spot where the bully and his friends usually hung out at but only his friends are there now. There has no been so sign or trace of him at all.

Maxine arrives shortly and picks her daughter up to take her home. It's another day at the house with just the two of them. William is at football practice and Chloe Caulfield is busy at her company. After a quick afternoon meal, they decide to play a game of UNO. They have fun for a while until Rachel suddenly remembers the bully kid and starts to feel guilty and worried. Max immediately realizes that her daughter's gorgeous smile has faded and asks if there's anything wrong with her.

"Hey Rachel, is something wrong?"

"Mom... I'm thinking about that kid that I wounded. He still hasn't returned to school. It's been a long time. Do you know what happened to him?"

Max stands up and turns away from Rachel. She goes to the kitchen and grabs a few things from the fridge. She responds to Rachel's questions while pouring herself and Rachel a drink.

"No, not at all my dear. The last thing I remember is visiting his parents at the hospital. I recall them saying they would transfer him to another school or something. I'm not sure why though. They said he was going to be fine after a few days."

Max returns with a glass of wine for herself and apple juice for her daughter.

"Well mom, the strange thing is that nobody seems to know about what happened to him. In fact, it's like he never existed. The teachers and even his friends don't seem to care about him and know about his whereabouts. It's pretty weird, don't you think?"

Max empties her wine glass and goes to the kitchen to grab the whole wine bottle. She puts the bottle aside and puts her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"I don't think it's weird at all Rachel. He probably needed extra medical attention. Maybe his wound got worse? I wouldn't worry about it though. I'm sure I know why it's bothering you so much. You're feeling guilty right? Don't be. You only defended yourself. You taught him a lesson. He shouldn't have bullied you. Now everybody knows not to mess with you. So don't feel guilty. You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing wrong at all. Okay?"

Rachel finishes her juice and smiles at her mother, who is also smiling at her and caressing her hair. Her feelings of guilt and worry instantly disappear. She believes her mother's words 100% and forgets about the whole situation. They resume their game of UNO until Chloe finally arrives from work, just in time for dinner. Rachel notices that both of her parents are acting overly happy during dinner and she sees them going to their room, carrying a bottle of wine with them. Before they shut the door, she sees them kissing and whispering things to each other, which brings a smile to her face.


	26. Confession

**Chapter 26**

* * *

 

"Oh Chloe...my sweet Chloe..."

Max Caulfield is sitting up on her bed reminiscing about the sex she just had with her wife Chloe. It was their first intoxicated sex in decades. They even went a little further than they ever had before, with biting each other and a bit of role-playing. It was an unusual unpredictable night, something out of the ordinary for the two of them, but perhaps that's what they needed after months of frustration, uncertainty, and depression. Despite them being drunk out of their minds, it seems that their bodies instinctively knew how to please one another. Max plays with the sleeping smiling Chloe's hair and looks around the room. It's a completely silent and peaceful night. Still feeling a bit tipsy and unable to sleep, she begins to think about the past, present, and future. Her good mood turns a complete 180 once she begins thinking of her daughter Rachel.

She recalls the questions Rachel asked her yesterday afternoon and begins to feel anxious. Max gets up to get a glass of water and swallows some Xanax. She walks towards Rachel's room and opens the door. She stares at the sleeping Rachel, dressed in her unicorn onesie, for several minutes. She admires her daughters' beauty and peaceful smile.

_Oh my Rachel. I need to protect your smile. No matter what it takes. I need to keep you safe. I need to keep you happy. You don't deserve anything less. You're the most important person to me now and I'll do anything to keep protect you. Anything._

Not wanting to wake Rachel up or creep her out if she does get up, Max closes the door and goes to the kitchen table. She sees a tempting wine bottle on the counter top but decides not to go for it. She grabs another glass of water and resumes her pondering.

_Dammit. I really need to get this out of my chest. I need to tell someone about what I did. I can't stop thinking about it! It's fucking killing me! Who can I talk to though? Who can I tell? Who can keep a secret? Who can I trust? Wait...there's Kate! Kate Marsh will listen to me! She will judge but...she will at least listen and keep it between us. I'm going to text her this morning to see if she can come over. I hope talking about this to someone else will make me feel a bit better._

Later that morning, after making breakfast for her family and dropping off Rachel at school, she cleans the living room while waiting for her friend Kate Marsh to arrive. After a couple of hours, Kate Marsh does arrive, dressed up in a yellow lace top and a polka dot skirt,and cheerfully hugs Max. While they hug, Max sees that Kate is carrying a bible and a cross on her purse.

"Hey Kate."

"Hiya Max! I was so surprised by your text! How are you? How's um... Chloe and your kids?"

"Yeah, sorry for the late notice but I really needed a friend like to talk to right now. Oh, Chloe's great! The kids too!"

"Great. Great. Well, that's why I'm here! Listening to people and helping them out is my specialty at church! Of course, it's all thanks to you."

Max blushes and smiles at Kate. She knows exactly what she means by that. However, her smile quickly goes away as soon as she remembers Jefferson and Arcadia Bay. Max instructs Kate to get comfortable and sit down at the living room couch. Kate looks around and is in awe of Max's massive house. As Max gets them something to drink, Kate begins to ask Max some questions.

"Wow! This house sure has changed since the last time I been here!"

"Yeah! All thanks to Chloe and the kids! I couldn't careless but Chloe insists on remodeling every year." Max says as she returns to the living with Kate.

"Oh, I see. Thanks for the glass of water."

"No problem Kate."

"So...I'm not sure what you meant by your text Max. I got several different vibes from it. So I came prepared!"

Kate takes out the cross, bible, and even some holy water from her purse. Max is beginning to have second thoughts about bringing Kate over.

"Uhh Kate..."

"I know! I know! I probably exaggerated but just in case...I brought them. I won't use them if I don't have to of course."

"Well...I hope not Kate."

"Understood."

Kate puts her stuff away and drinks some water. She turns around to face Max and realizes that her eyes are moving all over the place, keeps shaking her legs, and keeps opening and closing her hands.

"Are you okay Max?"

"No...not really." Max responds while looking at the living room carpet. Kate gets closer to her.

"What's wrong then? Tell what's bothering you."

"Oh Kate...it's something I did."

"Something you did?"

"Yeah..."

"What did you do?"

"Something horrible, Kate. I sinned."

"You sinned? W-what kind of sin Max?"

Max shakes her head and abruptly gets up and pours herself a glass of wine before returning to the living room with Kate. She insults herself under her breath as she drinks the wine. Kate, although confused, remains still and simply observes Max's movements. Kate puts her hand on Max's shoulder, who begins to cry and put her head down on one of the couch throw pillows.

"You can tell me Max. You can trust me."

Max begins shivering and keeps sobbing for several minutes until she finally responds with a low feeble voice.

"Kate?"

"Yes?"

"Would you do anything for your family? Your children?"

"Well...I don't have children of my own. I do take care of my sister's children from time to time. I suppose I'll do anything for them, I do care and love them like if they were my own."

" _Anything_?"

"Yes."

"Even...breaking one of the ten commandments?"

"Breaking one of the ten commandments!? Well...I don't know...I suppose it depends on which one..."

Max resumes sobbing to herself and covering her face in shame. Kate connects the dots and hesitantly asks more questions.

"Max...did you break one of the 10 commandments?"

Max slowly nods her head. Kate widens her eyes in total shock and is unsure what to think or even say.

"W-which one Max?"

"I...killed..."

"WHAT!?"

Kate lets go of Max and almost faints upon hearing that but is able to keep her composure. Max drinks the rest of her wine glass and turns away from Kate. Kate is in total disbelief and no longer feels comfortable to be in the same room of Max but her beliefs keep her there.

"Max...who did you kill? Why?"

"I-I can't tell you who Kate but it wasn't my intention. It was for the safety of my family. I didn't want to do it, Kate, but I had no choice. I tried my best to avoid this situation but luck wasn't on my side. I committed an act so...brutal...and unforgivable. You have to believe me Kate...I so didn't mean to do it...but...but... I didn't know what else to do!"

Although Kate is now terrified by Max, she puts her hand on her shoulder again and tries to get more information out of Max.

"Max...I believe you. You saved my life at one point. You are a good friend. A good person. I'm  _sure_  that you had good reasons to do whatever you did. I'm not going to say anything to anybody else about this. You have my word. May God bless you."

Kate puts her arms over Max, who rests her head on Kate's shoulders. Max finishes crying, wipes away her tears, and smiles at Kate.

"Thank you Kate, for listening to me and understanding. Anybody else would be freaking out. I trust you not to say anything, especially to any of our friends and family. I feel a bit better thanks to you."

"I-I'm glad to hear that Max."

All of a sudden, Max gives the confused and terrified Kate a hug. She keeps hugging her for several minutes until she finally lets go. Kate checks her phone and pretends that she has an errand to run.

"Oh, look at the time! Sorry, I just remembered I needed to baby sit today. I need to be at my house in half an hour!"

"Hmm...okay Kate. Before you go though, can you...pray for me?"

"Pray for you?"

"Yes."

"Well...alright."

Kate puts her hand on Max's head and begins praying. She closes her eyes for the first half but slowly re-opens them to observe Max, who is now grinning while looking at the carpet floor. Kate leaves shortly afterwards and pours holy water all over Max's front door and garden.

"And the LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, O Satan!'"

As she watches Kate leave, Max sighs in relief and returns to her usual stay-at-home mom duties.

_I knew I could trust Kate. She was a huge relief. I feel better now but I know this feeling won't last forever...but! As Chloe and Kate has said, I am a good person. I make mistakes like anybody else. Anybody else in my position would've done the committed the same actions as I have. I have nothing to feel bad about!_

* * *

Meanwhile, Rebecca has gotten off work and is now on her way towards the address the homeless man gave her. She has done some research on the address and realizes that's located in a rather poor section of the city. She gets dropped off a block away from the address and makes her away towards it. She walks for several minutes until she realizes that the house the address apparently belongs to, no longer exists for the most part. It has torn down since the last time Google updated the map apps. It seems to have been burned down and vandalized to no end. No windows, front door half broken, no roof, and completely slanted. Confused and frustrated, Rebecca gets ready to order a cab to back to her dorms until she gets spooked by a man's voice from behind.

"Hello there Rebecca!"

She puts her phone away and turns around. It's the homeless man who seemed to have come out of nowhere once again.

"Hi sir! You kind of scared me there!"

"My apologies. I didn't mean to. Follow me."

The homeless man walks towards the destroyed house. They make their way around the house to an alley behind the house, filled with gang graffiti and strange symbols sprayed all over the walls. As she follows him, she realizes that her right hand is trembling. She observes the homeless man in front of her and begins to feel intimidated by him, but she has no idea why.

_This guy is not normal. Not at all._

They make their way towards the house's basement's back door. Rebecca immediately gets the creeps but remains brave and knows that with her powers, she's ultimately not in any harm. She follows the homeless man into the basement.

Upon entering, she sees several candles all over lighting up the basement. There's only a rug, a short wooden table, a sleeping bag, and books inside the room. The homeless takes a seat on the middle of the floor and instructs Rebecca to do the same. She pulls the rug and sits on it, completely disgusted by the floor's conditions. She turns to face the man once again, who has his eyes closed and seems to be mediating or praying.

_What the hell did I get myself into?_

"The ring Rebecca."

Rebecca extends her ring finger and the homeless man grabs it. He begins to talk in total gibberish, which freaks her out even more.

"Tell me Rebecca. Tell me what the ring did."

"I don't think so. Sorry, but I think I better go."

"Please don't go! I promise I'll share more information if you stay!"

"So you  _do_  know more than what you are telling me."

"Yes, I'm afraid I am. I didn't know if I could trust you or not. Please Rebecca, tell me what you saw. Tell me what the ring granted you. Tell me and I''ll reveal more who I am and what I know about the ring."

"Very well. This is going to sound...crazy...but...it's the complete truth."

"I have witness tons of crazy shit in my life young girl. Nothing you say will faze me, it will only intrigue me."

Rebecca thinks it over but decides to play along. She can always rewind this entire conversation if she needs to anyway, even if she has to experience a migraine later on.

It takes Rebecca an entire hour to explain to the homeless man about who she is, her past, and what the ring granted her. However, she doesn't name the Caulfields nor reveals she has time manipulating powers of her own. She does tell the man about her nightmares and the fact she was born in Arcadia Bay. The homeless man is completely astonished and begs to hear more but Rebecca refuses to reveal more. She does go in detail regarding the ring and the fact she did go back in time using it.

"My my...I can't believe it! The ring works! I mean...it doesn't exactly bring good luck or particularly grant  _any_  wish...but it does...it does...do something!"

"Yeah...the ring...is truly something else mister. Hey, can I get your name by now?"

"Trace."

"Trace? Cool. So, what else do you know about the ring?"

"Hold on. I need to see something first."

The homeless man retrieves something from one of his jacket's pockets. It's an old photo. He stares at it for a minute or two and sheds a tear. He then shows the photo to Rebecca. It's a photo of a young boy, dressed in a sailor's suit, at the beach. He's a light brown-haired blue-eyed Caucasian boy, about six or seven years old.

"Who is this kid, Trace?"

"He was my joy in life. He was taken away from me at an early age. Please Rebecca...try to see...if you can use this photo."

"Use this photo?"

"Yes, the ring does nothing for me. However, the ring does react to you somehow. You said that you used a photo to go back in time more than twenty years ago even it was just briefly. I want you to wish yourself back in time to when this photo was taken. I want to see the ring in action. Please Rebecca, if you do, I shall tell you everything I know."

"Well, let's see then..."

Rebecca pretends to focus at the photo and try to go back in time but the homeless man catches on.

"Please  _try_. If you succeed and you see that boy, tell him that his daddy loves him and that he's not alone. He never will be."

"Umm...sure"

_I guess there's no harm in trying. I doubt it's going to work again though. I know nothing about this kid and I have no attachment to him. Let's see...I remember focusing on the butterfly photo and trying to rewind time as long as I can. However, the rewind didn't do the trick. I do remember wishing that I knew more about the origin about the butterfly photo. Maybe if I wish again? I wish I could go back in time into this photo..._

The gemstone ring begins to glow brightly, outshining all the candles in the room, taking the homeless man completely by surprise and devours Rebecca's entire body into the photo.

Rebecca finds herself at an unknown beach. She sees the boy in the photo, making a sandcastle. There doesn't seem be anybody with him. There's no sight of his parents or anybody else. She can hear the seagulls and the ocean waves but nothing else. Only palm trees, sand, the ocean, and the boy are present. She takes a closer look of the environment around her and realizes that the sky is unusually gray and gloomy. The ocean is completely dark and lifeless.

"Hi" says the blue-eyed boy as he waves at her.

"Oh...hi."

_Okay? What the hell? He can see me? Where's his parents? Where's the person that took that photo at? Where am I? This beach...doesn't look any beach I've gone to . There doesn't seem to be anything else. Why is this kid all alone here? There's no sun in the sky and everything looks DEAD! What the hell is going on?_

"Can you play with me?"

The boy's innocent question and his indifference to the world around him intrigues Rebecca, who walks towards him. She decides to help him build his sand castle. She simply observes the boy and is unsure what to say or ask. The boy is completely pale and shows hardly an emotion.

"Who are you kid? Where are your parents?"

"My parents? My parents are dead. They left me here. All alone. Forever."

"You parents are dead? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure miss."

Rebecca scratches her head but keeps playing along.

"Well, why are you here at the beach? All alone?"

"I have nowhere else to go to. There's nothing else out here, only death. I'm safe here so I stay here."

"What about your family? Do you have a sister? A brother? Cousins?"

"I had a sister. She moved away and forgot about me. My entire family forgot about me. They didn't care about me. They let me die."

Rebecca is taken back and begins to feel completely devastated for unknown reasons. What she's hearing from this strange boy is sad but she is somehow taking it personally, as if she has known this kid forever. As if he was family. She then remembers what the old man said to her.

"Hey sport, I got a message for you. Your dad loves you and you will never be alone. No matter what."

The kid stops playing with the sand and raises his head to look at Rebecca. He smiles at her then resumes his sand-building.

"Can you be my big sister?"

Rebecca wonders why he didn't acknowledge her message but does accept his offer.

"Sure!"

"Hurray!" yells the boy.

However, before they continue to play, Rebecca is pulled into a portal that came out of nowhere. She doesn't resist the force and allows herself to be pulled in. She sees the boy waving goodbye to her and in the final glimpse of him, she sees an older vision of him. An attractive but lonely,scared, and confused young man.

Rebecca finds herself back at the basement with the homeless man. He instantly grabs her from her shirt and demands for answers. He shakes her and pins her against the wall. Rebecca struggles to remove his grip on her.

"Tell me what you saw! TELL ME NOW!"

"I-I saw that boy."

"You did!?"

"Yes. Let go out of me!"

"NOT YET! What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

"I'm telling you the truth! I gave him the message. All he did was smile at me! Nothing else!"

"He...smiled?"

"Yes...then he asked me if I can become his big sister. That's all."

The homeless man finally puts her down and paces around the room in circles. An ugly grin begins to form on his face and he begins to cry.

"Now I get it. Now I get why I was lead to you. You are something special...Rebecca. You're indeed worthy of bearing the ring."

Rebecca wants to get out of here immediately but she's afraid to leave. She feels incredibly weak and emotionally devastated from that experience. She decides to play along further until she regains her energy back.

"A-are you the father of that boy?"

"Yes, I am. He meant the world to me and I tossed him aside. I regret it every single day. I just want to see him again. However, that seems impossible for me to accomplish! No matter what I do!"

The homeless man turns around with total frustration and was about to grab Rebecca again but stops himself. He takes a step back and assures Rebecca he won't touch her again.

"I'm sorry about your problems sir, but-"

"Don't feel sorry Rebecca. Because of you, I have communicated with my son again! Because of you, new opportunities have been born! The ring enhances one's natural-born abilities and powers my dear friend! You can manipulate time without the ring, right?"

"Wait-how did you-"

"I knew it! The ring's former users always were connected with the supernatural! They were all freaks. All throughout history! No offence. Nobody believed they had powers! Not even I! Not until today! Don't worry Rebecca, I'll keep this a secret between us. If you help me, I'll help you. I'm sure you have your own goals and plans that you need help to accomplish. I can't wait to..."

The homeless man turns away from her and begins whispering to himself. Seeing him completely distracted, she slowly makes her way towards the door in to leave immediately and is about to walk out but decides to ask the man one last question. She is completely filled with curiosity.

"Just  _who_  are you really?"

The man turns around and winks at her.

"Sit down Styles. We have a lot to go over."


	27. Terrible News

**Chapter 27**

* * *

With curiosity getting the better of Rebecca, she sits back where she was just at a minute ago. She pulls the rug back to sit on while the homeless man retrieves a beer bottle that was hidden behind him. Rebecca immediately picks up something from just watching the man get up to drink his beer bottle. His posture and body language is completely different. From a weak dirty homeless man to a confident, firm, strong, and healthy older man. The man begins to drink and talk.

_Something is definitely odd about this guy. He isn't normal. Not at all._

"Well, where do I even begin Miss Styles? I guess I'll start explaining who I'm  _really_  am and how I ended up here. I will also tell you know I knew about your arrival to Seattle and such."

Rebecca eyes widen and shouts at the man.

"W-what? You knew I was coming!? How!?"

The old man puts his finger on his mouth and hushes her. He begins to lower his voice and whispers.

"Hush! Be quiet from now on Rebecca. For our own safety. Let me explain myself first. You can ask your questions later. Do you understand? _Do you understand?_ "

Rebecca begins to feel intimated once more and decides to listen to his words. She nods her head.

_What the fuck? How the hell is he doing this? I'm not a submissive person at all. Yet, I'm doing exactly what he says. Obedient like a dog. What in the world?_

"Yes-yes sir." She whispers while looking at the ground. The man smiles and resumes talking.

"That's a good girl. Listen to what I'm about to say. This is crucial information you must know Rebecca. Information that will help you in your...goals. Capiche?"

"Yes...sir."

The man drinks some more and turns his back towards her. He resumes explaining.

"I wasn't always a homeless man. I used to belong to a very powerful group of people. The Elites or a secret society, you might say. Only the highest and most powerful people in the world are eligible to join. My father and his father were members too. I had everything in my disposal. Friends. Family. Money. Power. Respect. Fear. My name used to be feared. You see, I'm also from Arcadia Bay."

"Wait? You're from-" Rebecca rudely interrupts the man and gets scolded by him. She couldn't help herself. Just hearing the name 'Arcadia Bay' from someone else's mouth is enough to grab her attention immediately.

"What  _did_  I say Rebecca? Ask questions later! I will not say this again. Got it?"

Rebecca nods her head and keeps being quiet. The man resumes talking.

"Yes, I'm from Arcadia Bay. I used to practically own it. My name is not Trace. My name is Sean...Sean Prescott."

He turns back to face Rebecca, who looks completely shocked. He recognizes her reaction very well.

"Oh, you heard of me?"

Rebecca hesitates to answer but she gets an assured look from him that signals her that it is okay for her to speak.

"Y-yeah I seen your name somewhere. I met your daughter at a party one time as well."

"Oh, really? How Interesting. I haven't seen my daughter in decades. "

"She's the mayor of the city now."

"Yes, I'm aware. I'm proud of her. However, she wants nothing to do with me anymore. A damn shame. "

The man drinks even more and slams the bottle on the table so hard. Rebecca starts to feel fear once again. The man calms himself before talking again.

"Anyways, you might be wondering how I ended up being homeless despite my success. Well, that all started on October eleven, 2013. The day of the storm. The day that changed my life forever. I lost nearly everything. My home, my family, my son, my wealth, my power, everything was gone in a flash. Luckily, I made it out alive that night but looking back, I was better off dead. The damage was too great. I couldn't afford to re-build everything from scratch. To make matters worse, I was involved in a murder case. Some girl got killed and my son and his teacher were involved in her murder. That fucking Jefferson ruined me and he got my son killed!"

The man finishes the beer bottle then throws it against the wall, breaking it.

"Mark... Jefferson?" Rebecca asks quietly, feeling completely intimidated.

"Don't say that fucking name again. But yes, that's him. How did you know his first name?"

"I-I read about that murder case. I think the girl's name was Rachel Amber."

"Yes, that's right. Rachel Amber. You know your history Rebecca. That's good."

_I'm trying to remember what Roger said about this Rachel girl. I just remember how beautiful she was and that she was murdered. Wait a minute-did the Caulfields name William's sister after her? Probably. I'll ask William later._

" So that teacher got arrested the night of the storm and I was summoned for questioning by the police. He ratted me and my family out. Of course, nearly the entire police force were wiped away from the tornado but I was still investigated by the neighboring district. I helped funded that stupid Jefferson and his creepy fetishes. My son got brainwashed by him and wanted to follow him in his footsteps. It's all my fault though. I had no idea what was going on. I was stupid and careless. I should've foreseen it. I knew something was wrong with Jefferson but I was too caught up in my own affairs to check out what he was doing with my money. I didn't pay any attention to my son. If I did, none of this would've ever happened. He would still be alive. I'm a complete failure of a father!"

Sean Prescott kicks the table in anger but eventually calms himself once more. He stops raising his voice and resumes whispering.

"With Arcadia Bay completely destroyed, my public image ruined, reputation in shattered pieces, my money gone, my family wiped away, and my house and property gone, I was forced out to the streets after spending some time in jail. I group I was associated with no longer accepted me. They stripped me from my power, privileges, and resources. I was on my own. It's rather ironic though. I was aware of the storm coming to the town. In fact, I wanted it to come. I wanted it to destroy some of the city so I can easily build my planned projects over it. However, that tornado was no ordinary tornado. It was the work of something out of this world. The work of someone or something that exceeds anything I have ever seen before. Trust me Rebecca, I have seen tons of crazy shit in my life but none of that compares to what happened on that night of October 11, 2013."

The man paces around the room and tries to look for something but seems unable to find whatever he's looking for. Awkward silent minutes pass by. Rebecca slowly builds up the courage to say something to break the silence.

"I-I believe I know who is responsible for the storm. My nightmares and my research revealed their identity. Do you know those two girls I was telling you about that were present in my dreams? I believe those people are...Max Caulfield and her wife...Chloe Price. My boss and boyfriend's mother."

The man doesn't seem that surprised to hear her naming the Caulfields nor does he seem surprised that Rebecca has named potential suspects at all. The man gets some animal crackers from one of his jacket's pockets and begins to eat them slowly. After eating a few, he nods his head and begins to talk once again.

"Funny. I've suspected them from the beginning. They were only twenty survivors from that night, including them, myself, and Jefferson. Everybody suffered injuries, except those two. They knew exactly where to be that night. They also were the ones who helped the cops capture Jefferson and myself. They managed to do something the FBI, the missing girl's father, who was the DA, and the police force couldn't do, find that girl's body. I always found their story to be remarkable. Too remarkable. However, I had no evidence or anything to prove that were involved in such disastrous event. That's why I came to Seattle. To carefully keep an eye on them. After some time though, with no leads, I gave up and decided to stay here since I found some deserted houses to live in. You see, I'm not allowed to be a normal part of society anymore. The Elites won't allow it. But you my friend, have given me hope. I now have a reason to continue to move forwards. It's all thanks to you."

For the first time all evening, the man looks at Rebecca with admiration and awe. He walks up to her and grabs her hands. He smiles at her. Rebecca doesn't feel comfortable at all and is trying to digest everything he has said so far.

"Hope?" She asks quietly.

"Yes, you represent hope. The vision I had a week prior to your arrival is clear now. It was demonstrated like a classic tale. An extraordinary person will arrive out of nowhere to settle past debts and make the wrong things right. I was correct. You're that extraordinary person my friend. You were sent here to help me, so I can help you, in your own problems and vice versa."

The man lets go of Rebecca and changes his mood once again. He resumes pacing around the room and begins scratching his head.

" _However_ , based on what you told me so far and what I know, things just don't quite add up. If Max Caulfield and Chloe Price are the ones responsible for that storm, then that means that their powers exceeds the Elites. That's just unbelievable. The thing is, Rebecca, you're that not unique. There are several people out there in the world with amazing powers and abilities, just like yourself. Many of them work directly for the Elites or are supervised by them. There are people out there who can manipulate wind, fire, water, electricity, have superhuman speed, have superhuman strength, and can even manipulate all types of weather. Time manipulation is extremely rare and has only been encountered once in recorded history, but that person never learned to master her abilities. They tried experimenting on her. It didn't go so well. What I don't get is...even those who can manipulate the weather aren't capable to create such a dangerous storm that Caulfield apparently made. None of them comes close to that level of ferocity! It just doesn't make any sense! What abilities can Caulfield and Price possibly have? Another thing is, are you seriously dating their son?"

"Y-yes I am." Rebecca blushes and recognizes how silly that sounds.

"How is that even possible? If Caulfield is capable of such feats and has powers, how is she not suspicious of you? How does she not recognize your intents? How does she allow you to date his son? Do you love her son by the way?"

Rebecca is caught off guard by his question and shakes her head and waves her hands, completely indicating 'No'.

"No-no-no of course not. He's just a tool I'm using to get close to the family. I don't love him at all. I have wondered about those questions myself. I don't believe she knows but thanks for the advise. Anyways, as soon as I uncover more truths of the Caulfields, I'll break up with him."

Sean Prescott observes her body language and glances at her with a lot of doubt on his face. He eventually forms a smile on his face and continues on.

"Hmm, I don't believe you are telling me the truth but that's none of my business anyways. I won't interfere in your little schemes. They're not important compared to the real matters at hand. Here's the deal Rebecca. You help me. I help you. If Caulfield is the one responsible for that storm, then you stand no chance against her. Chances are that Caulfield is already onto you and is merely toying with you. Just waiting for that perfect moment to strike, just like you are doing to her. Be careful and be aware of your surroundings. Watch your back. Observe the Caulfields very carefully. Any mistake will cost you."

Rebecca wonders whether or not to accept his offer. Although he still fears the man in front of her, she decides it's time to ask some questions of her own, hoping to obtain more information from him.

"Why do I need your help? I can take care of myself. I know what I'm doing. You might have been powerful twenty years ago but now you're nothing. What help can you possibly give me?"

Sean Prescott chuckles to himself and gets up to retrieve the books that were in the corner of the room. He shows them to Rebecca.

"The Elites stripped me from my powers but they couldn't take away my knowledge and inherited abilities. These books date back to the middle ages. Only a few in the entire world can comprehend the writings in these books. I'm one of them. They're...black magic books. Old Satanism. Books about Ancient practices. In my prime, I was capable of some rather useful techniques and tricks. Not even the Elites could replicate some of the things I learned from these books and teachings. You won't believe Rebecca, what these books can teach you. Well, I can teach you them. I know you're the perfect fit. The ring's acceptance tells me so. You see, I lied somewhat about that ring. It was my family who had that ring for generations. It had that childish legend behind it but I knew it was just a ring and there was nothing special about it since the start. Well, until I got a hold of it. I practiced all sorts of things with it. However, nothing ever happened. I assumed it was a failed project so I gave it to someone special as a gift. Once that special someone passed away, I got a hold of it again. I practiced even more but it never seemed to work. Nevertheless, I kept in my possession hoping that someday it will work as intended. Once I discovered you, I was curious to see if the ring reacted to you, so I gave it to you as a gift. Now what happens after you get it? The ring suddenly does something! Do you see where I'm going with this? My knowledge will help you in your mission against the Caulfields. You stand no chance against them now but if you do study these material with me, I know you will become even more powerful. You just need to help me too."

Rebecca tries to digest all of this but is unable to do so. She's beyond confused and doesn't know what to say or think. She looks at the man who is eagerly waiting for an answer. She wants to escape and think about it but decides to stall for more time. Although she feels that most of her energy and strength has returned, she doesn't want to risk it just yet.

"H-help you? How?"

"For now, I want you to help me relive some of the moments with my son. Apart from these books, my knowledge, and the ring, these pictures of my kids are the last things I have from my past life. You successfully went into one so I know you can do the same with the others. I want to somewhat communicate with my son again. I do have other things in mind but for now, this is all I'm asking for in return. So how about it? You will learn a lot from me, make no mistake. You will gain abilities and skills beyond your imagination. You'll become untouchable. I know for a fact that your powers are limited. I can change that. For example, I bet you can't forward time or go to the future. Right?"

Sean hands her several photos of him and his son. She looks at them briefly before putting them in her back pocket. She answers his question afterwards.

"I don't believe I can. I haven't really tried since I first got these powers though."

"Well, maybe if you obtain some of my knowledge and expand your skills, you may be able to do so. I'm sure that will be extremely beneficial for you. So...what's it going to be my friend?"

The man offers her a handshake with a smile on his face. Rebecca looks at the extended hand and thinks to what to do.

_Okay, I have no idea to accept or not. I feel that he's telling me the truth but do I really need his help? He says that I can become powerful if I joined him. Do I really want that? No. Fuck that noise! I don't need his help. I don't need to get involved in some Harry Potter type of shit. I can do this on my own. I don't need a partner. I have everything under control. I don't need someone manipulating me and telling me what to do. Fuck that. Okay, I know what to do: Get the fuck out of here. Alright...here it goes._

Rebecca smiles at him and extends her hand slowly, almost connecting with his. However, before they shake hands, Rebecca tightens her fist and abruptly swings at him, punching him in the right cheek. Sean Prescott exclaims pain and almost falls down from the force of her punch. Taking advantage of this, Rebecca rewinds time all the way to the very beginning of their conversation. She stops rewinding with enough energy left in the tank to punch him once again. Rebecca immediately runs out of the basement and runs for several blocks, getting away successfully. After a mile or two, Rebecca stops to catch her breath and feels incredibly relieved.

_I did it! I did it! I made it out of there! Now that conversation never took place since I rewinded our entire meeting. I'm a genius! I better get out of this shady neighborhood though. Pronto. Up yours Prescott. Thanks for the boring history lesson I guess._

As Rebecca is leaving Sean Prescott behind, William and Rachel Caulfield are finally back together in Rachel's room. William is helping Rachel with her math homework and watching over her, as their parents are out. The two of them catch up and William makes up for his recent absences by offering to take Rachel to Disney world next week, which she accepts in a microsecond. However, her excitement quickly goes away as soon as William tells her that he's planning to bring Rebecca too. As they are finishing the homework assignments, Rachel notices that William seems worried as he keeps glancing at his phone every two minutes or so. They finally finish and begin to clean up Rachel's room as it's currently a mess. As William helps her clear out her desk, he notices several colorful crayon drawings underneath her laptop. One of them is of Rachel and Elsa from Frozen building a snowman. Another one is of Twilight Sparkle from  _My Little Pony_. Another one has three does looking at the sunset on a beach with a crow flying towards the sun. William is impressed with his sister's drawings and compliments her on every single one until he finds one that rather disturbs him.

It is a drawing of Rachel dancing around a burning person. There's a crowd around them who seem to be enjoying the scene. He takes a closer look at the person being burnt alive and realizes that the person is a woman who resembles his girlfriend, Rebecca. Confused, William shows the drawing to his sister and begins to ask questions.

"Hey Rach. W-what's this about?"

"Oh. I had a dream about this. It was too weird for me to forget. So I drew it."

"I-I don't think you should be drawing something like this. It's...sick and twisted."

"I don't think so. That person deserved it."

"What do you mean that person deserved it!? Who is this woman? She looks familiar to me."

"I don't know. I don't remember. I just remember those people around us shouting and claiming that she was a bad person who deserved it. I forgot how she looked like so I drew her a bit like your girlfriend. Just for a model."

William gets a bit ticked off and crumbles the drawing into a paper ball.

"This isn't very nice Rachel. You can't draw somebody you know like this! I'm going to throw this away. I don't want our parents to find this okay? You don't draw stuff like this Rach. Some might get the wrong idea if they discover these kinds of drawings. Do you understand?"

Rachel doesn't like her brother's tone and attitude towards her so she begins to apologize.

"It's just drawings! I swear! I didn't mean to make you upset! I was watching too many scary movies lately. Maybe that's why I had a dream like that. Sorry!"

William sits down on her bed and invites Rachel to join him, which she does.

"It's fine Rach. It's fine. Just don't draw my Rebecca like that again. If you're going to draw her, make her look like a princess or like one of those ponies."

Rachel rolls her eyes upon hearing this and mumbles something underneath her breath. William doesn't catch this, however, as he's checking out his phone. Rachel notices him being distracted.

"Rebecca's fine. Okay? You don't have to worry about her. She's fine."

"H-how did you know I was checking on her?"

"It's obvious that you're waiting for a text back from her. Don't worry, she's not with another guy or something like that. She's okay."

Before William can even respond, he hears the front door being opened. From a distance, he can hear his mother Max crying hysterically.

William and Rachel immediately rush over downstairs to see what's going on. They find their parents holding each other very tightly. The two of them are clearly crying but of the two, Max appears to be in complete sorrow. They listen to some of their conversation.

"Everything is going to be fine Max. We'll get through this. Just like every obstacle that has been in our way, we'll get through it. Together."

"Chloe...what if? What I went..." Max struggles to talk.

"No Max. You promised me to never do that again. This is just another battle we must face, together."

"What's wrong with mommy?" Rachel asks as Max continues to cry out loud. Chloe faces her two children, with tears in her eyes, and begins to explain what's going on as she strokes her wife's hair.

"There's nothing wrong with our Max kids. However, there is something wrong...with me. William. Rachel. I just got back from my pulmonlogist appointment. After doing some testing at the hospital and specialist office, I have been diagnosed...with lung cancer. It's rather advanced. Some of my lifestyle mistakes from the past have finally caught up to me. I'm-I'm sorry. But don't worry kids, everything is going be fine. Your mother is a warrior. I'm going to kick cancer's ass. Alright? So please don't..."

Chloe can't help herself but break down after trying her best to downplay the situation.

Rachel and William are lost for words. They are stunned in disbelief. Rachel immediately runs towards them and hugs her parents. William joins shortly afterwards and they form a family hug. They begin to cry alongside their mothers, however their tears and sadness pales in comparison to Max, who is completely devastated. Her loud and hopeless crying makes the two of them cry even more and feel like that their mother is on the verge of dying. They spend the rest of the night together.


	28. The Arcadia Bay Meetup

**Chapter 28**

* * *

"Another day. Another dollar. Ugh, thank god it's almost Friday."

Rebecca clocks in for another day at work. It's been over two months since she started working here and she feels like it has been a huge waste of time. She hasn't gotten any closer to Chloe nor has she discovered or learned any further useful and promising information about her family. She has grown completely sick of doing the same data entry and filing duties every day. She wakes up every day, even on school only days, feeling like a zombie. Some days she forgets why she's even still working here to begin with. Other days, she forgets that she is working for the wife of the person responsible for her parent's deaths and the destruction of her hometown. Rebecca has realized that working for corporate America and a "9 to 5" job isn't for her at all. On the other hand, the pay she's getting isn't bad at all and there hasn't been any office drama lately with Mayra. They haven't bump heads ever since that meeting. However, this is easily explained because Mayra is always inside Chloe's office or attending meetings, conferences, or other business matters with Chloe for the past month. Mayra has simply been too busy to deal with Rebecca, but when they do see other, they simply acknowledge each other's existence and nothing more. Rebecca is fine with this but she still keeps an eye on her. Another reason why she thinks Mayra hasn't acted like a bitch towards her lately, is Mrs. Caulfield's general attitude towards her and the rest of the company. Chloe has been too lax lately with everybody and everything, not her usual strict self. Rebecca knows exactly why.

William has already told Rebecca of Chloe's medical situation and is conflicted on whether to be happy about this or not. Her mind is telling her to be happy and to enjoy the Caulfields suffering. However, her heart is saying otherwise. Although Chloe acts cheerful and confident in public, this isn't the case once the door is shut. Chloe is overly concerned, anxious, upset about her condition. Every time Rebecca is at the Caulfields for dinner or waiting for William in the living room , she can feel the tremendous amount of tension and depression in the room. At one point, Rebecca started to actually feel sorry for Max Caulfield, who looks the most miserable out of all of them. Max looked so completely lifeless one dinner night that Rebecca questioned herself if Max is really the same person who is responsible behind the storm and deaths. Seeing Max so depressed, devastated, fragile, and weak has made Rebecca scratch her head and raise doubts and questions.

However, Rebecca remembered what Sean Prescott told her and quickly gets rid of those feelings of sympathy. She continues to keep an eye on the Caulfields and watching their every move, getting information from William every chance she gets, and watches her back carefully. She has also watched out for any sighting of Sean Prescott, who she hasn't seen since she punched him. In spite of this, however, Rebecca gets recurring dreams of Sean Prescott's son, Nathan, as a reminder of their encounter. The dreams don't bother her at all, as they are pleasant and she enjoys playing at the beach and the park with him in these dreams. While the world around them is distorted and unusual in these dreams, the two of them have fun and enjoy each other's company regardless. Rebecca now wishes that she had a little brother or sister growing up.

Rebecca stops daydreaming and starts working until she gets a call from the big boss Chloe.

"Rebecca! Come to my office please. I would like you to meet some of my old school friends." Chloe calls her, sounding cheerful and energetic.

_Her friends? Why would I want to meet-ah whatever._

"I'll come right over Mrs. Caulfield!"

Rebecca rolls her eyes and walks towards Chloe's office and sees three women inside, including Chloe. One of them is a Auburn-haired biracial girl and the other one is light brown-haired white woman. She recognizes the Auburn-haired woman from the anniversary party and tries to recall her name but cannot remember it. She doesn't recognize the other woman. The two friends stand up and greet Rebecca.

"Hello there Rebecca! My name is Steph Gingrich! We saw each other at the party, remember?"

The blue-eyed Auburn-haired woman greets her first. This woman is wearing very casual clothing and appears to be a tomboy. **(Author's comments: I completely suck at describing physical and clothing characteristics. Sorry! Use your imagination/headcanon on these type of cases)**  The two of them shake hands.

"Y-yeah I remember you. It's nice to meet you Miss Gingrich." Rebecca responds awkwardly. She recalls Steph checking her out at the party.

" _Good._ So how's William?"

"He's fine, Miss Gingrich."

"Ok, I let that first one slide but call me Steph please, you're making me feel old! William's such a lucky boy though. You're very... _pretty_. To say the least! I didn't know you worked here until Chloe just brought you up just now. Of course, it makes perfect sense why you'd be working here. How do you like it here? Is Chloe over here too tough on you or is she giving you special treatment?"

Chloe laughs and smiles at Rebecca and Steph. Rebecca looks at Chloe then turns back to face Steph, who is rather close to her.

"Chloe's awesome! I like working here! No special treatment at all!" Rebecca smiles and plays along. All three of them chuckle. Rebecca gets intrigued by Steph's appearance and personality and asks her a question.

"Hey Steph, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a proud gear head. I'm a nuclear physicist and a mechanical engineer Rebecca. I work for the government. Sometimes." Steph winks at her and shows off some sort of ID or paper from her phone wallet case.

"Wow! That sounds pretty interesting!" Rebecca is genuinely impressed.

"Jeez Steph. Don't brag." The light brown-haired woman cuts into their conversation and teases Steph. This woman is dressed more professionally, with a business suit, hair tied up in a bun, and wearing high heels. Rebecca is still taller than her though.

"I'm not bragging. Just stating the facts." Steph raises her hands and walks away as the light brown-haired woman approaches Rebecca. She shakes hands with her.

"Hello there. Juliet Watson. KTLA 5 news reporter. Journalist and undercover investigator too! How are ya? I'm glad to meet you. So I heard you're dating Chloe's son huh? You guys make a cute couple, I must say. "

_KTLA? She's a news reporter? How interesting...I think I seen her name before, on the news or on the internet._

"Yeah, I'm dating William...thank you. So you're a news reporter? KTLA? That's...Los Angeles right?"

"You guess correctly! I've been in LA for over a decade. However, I used to live in Arcadia Bay like everybody else here. I used to be a reporter for the high school's newspaper. Of course, then the storm came and well...destroyed everything. My family and I moved to California shortly afterwards. Why? Our house was destroyed. The school was destroyed. We were lucky to survived that storm. It wasn't easy at all though."

Both Steph and Juliet's moods turn from happy and enthusiastic into looking sad and mournful. The two women look at the ground and remain silent. Rebecca glances at Chloe and sees her looking away from them and pretending to be distracted with her computer. Rebecca takes this chance to ask Juliet about the storm, much to Chloe's surprise.

"So you guys were in Arcadia Bay when the storm hit?"

Juliet is the first to answer, cutting off Steph who was about to speak. Chloe continues to pretend to be distracted.

"Yeah, I was in my dorm room with my boyfriend, at the time, sleeping. We were so wasted...there was huge party the night before. Anyways, I woke up and I realized something wasn't quite right. I didn't know what it was though until it was too late. So I left my boyfriend alone and went to the girl's bathroom. I managed to get my little bony ass out of there in time. In just a minute or less, that tornado passed through the school and rip almost everything apart. It came and went just like that! I barely saw it coming from a window and made a run for it. It's a good thing I did track and field before! Unfortunately, most of my classmates never made it. I-I have terrible but magnificent memories of that night. There were a lot of heroes that night, who helped me and the other survivors. They drove me to safety. People who were enemies or were total strangers, came together that night and fought for their survival. I even managed to film some footage of that storm. Being a typical high school girl addicted to her cell phone actually helped in my case. I reported many stories of that night and shared them with the world. News stations around the world used my reporting, video, and eyewitness accounts for a long time whenever they covered the storm. It helped me get into the news media business though. Oh, look at me. Rambling on like a school girl. I apologize everybody for bringing up...horrible memories."

Steph puts her arm over Juliet and tries to cheer her up. Chloe looks lost and puts her head down on her desk.

_Wow. A survivor of the storm. She's lucky to be alive! I wonder what Juliet would think if she knew what I know. If only she knew that one of people responsible for that storm is inside this room. If only..._

"Don't apologize Ms. Watson. I find that Arcadia Bay storm rather interesting." Rebecca responds and puts her hand on Juliet's left shoulder.

"You do!?" Chloe raises her head and questions Rebecca, with an odd and confused look on her face.

"Eh yeah. We had to do a study on it at school one time. I couldn't resist watching all those youtube videos discussing possible theories and explanations behind the storm after I found out about it."

"Oh yes, there's a bunch of wacko stuff about it out there. I try to stay away from that sort of stuff. Anyways, in memory of the friends I lost, every anniversary, I always dedicate a special article or news segment to it as tribute. That night is full of mysteries and unexplained phenomenon, it's a never ending story. "

"I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Juliet. I can't imagine how difficult it was for you guys after that storm. Steph, how did you survived it?"

"Well, lucky for me I wasn't in Arcadia Bay when the storm hit. I graduated from Blackwell earlier that year and my family moved to a small town in Colorado. Although I was away from any potential danger, that storm affected my life greatly too. I lost plenty of friends that night. Former teachers. Former acquaintances. I was worried that Chloe here died as well when I didn't hear from her in weeks. I was so desperate to hear from Chloe, that I actually drove all the way back to Arcadia Bay to check on her and her family. I didn't find any trace of her when I got there. Of course, I later learned that Chloe and her friend, now  _wife_ , did manage to survive the storm and they were safely out on their own. We remained in constant contact ever since. I promised myself and Chloe that she is never getting off my sight ever again! "

Steph approaches Chloe and sits on her lap, catching Chloe off guard. Chloe laughs and facepalms while Steph teases her. Suddenly, they get interrupted by a knock on the door. The door opens, revealing someone else that Rebecca recognizes from the party, Sean Prescott's daughter, Kristine. Steps gets off Chloe immediately and approaches Kristine to greet her. Miss Prescott is not only dressed more professionally than anybody else in the room but she is also dressed more elegantly. Kristine looks like she's ready to attend a business meeting and walk on a fashion runway show afterwards.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. TSA at the airport, ya know? Have I miss anything?" The long brown-haired mayor asks.

"Not at all Kristine, we were just about to get started." Chloe explains.

"Yo wassup Kris, how's the Bay doing?" Steph asks while they fist pump each other.

"The Bay is doing great lately! Perfect weather, economy booming, crime rates getting lower and lower, and unemployment at a low rate. Hey Juliet, how's LA? Steph, how's that secret project of yours coming along?" Kristine makes herself comfortable and takes a seat.

"Kris! We're not supposed to talk about that in public, remember?" Steph responds, visibly annoyed that Kristine mentioned something she shouldn't have. This catches the interest of Juliet, who gives Steph a nudge on the arm and begins to ask questions.

"Secret project? What you up to Gingrich? I'm sure my readers would love to read on what you're working on."

"Kristine! This is exactly what I was talking about!"

"Just messing with you Steph. Forget I said anything girls. Juliet, don't get ideas." Kristine says while winking at them. Juliet is intrigued but decides to drop the subject.

"Very well Gingrich. I won't ask you about it. However, if you change your mind, you know where to reach me. "

"Not a chance Watson."

"Whatever. Anyways, LA is amazing and unpredictable, like always Kristine. LA and So Cal has it all, you never what's going to come next!"

"I'm glad to hear that Juliet. Any chance you'd return to the  _Arcadia Bay_   _Beacon_  anytime soon?"

Juliet laughs and shakes her head.

_What's so damn funny?_

"That's a good one Kristine! The good ol'  _Beacon._ I don't think so but I may be interested to go back to the Bay one of these days. I've heard how you re-build and remodeled the whole town. I want to see it for myself."

"Arcadia Bay would be glad to welcome you Juliet. The same goes to each of you. Especially you Chloe!"

"Maybe Kris...one of these days...maybe". Chloe is clearly disturbed by the invitation and tries her best to ignore it. Kristine then focuses her attention towards Rebecca.

"Hey Rebecca, how are you doing? How's Will? Chloe told me you were working here now. How do you like it here? I hope Chloe isn't too tough on ya."

_You know, for being the daughter of that weirdo freak Sean Prescott, Kristine actually seems pretty cool. I wonder what she would say if I told her that I know her father and that he's homeless._

"I-I like it here very much Ms. Prescott. It's a good company and I like the people here. Chloe is such a great boss! And...I'm not just saying that because I'm dating her son ha ha ha."

The girls share a laugh until Chloe breaks the mood.

"Alright Rebecca, you are now excused. Now that Miss Prescott is here, we have to start a very important meeting and discuss business matters. I just wanted you to meet some of my friends and members of the #ArcadiaBaystrong. I didn't know you were so into that storm. That's... _interesting_. I need to talk to you later on by the way. I'll call you in when I'm ready. Oh, can you please get Mayra for me? She should be in by now. She needs to be in here with us. Thanks."

_Dammit! Just when it was about to get interesting. Back to shitty work I guess._

"Right away Mrs. C!"

Rebecca leaves the room and waves goodbye to them. She approaches Mayra's cubicle and sees her there.

"Hey Mayra, Mrs. Caulfield is summoning you."

"Thank you, Miss Styles."

Mayra fakes a smile and goes towards Chloe's office. Rebecca resumes her work for the rest of the day, waiting for Chloe's phone call. While working, she can't help herself but think about what Chloe and the others could be talking about. She also thinks about what Chloe might want to talk her about. As the day is about to be over, Rebecca finally gets a call from Chloe to come over in the last fifteen minutes of the day. Rebecca makes her way towards the CEO's office and catches a glimpse of Mayra and Juliet at the elevator. She can see in the corner of her eyes, the two of them exchanging folders and shaking hands. The elevator doors closes immediately afterwards and Rebecca enters the office. Chloe seems to be completely exhausted from the long day but smiles once she sees Rebecca. She instructs Rebecca to take a seat.

"Hey Chloe, what do you need from me?"

Chloe gets up from her chair and paces around the office.

"I need a favor Rebecca."

"A favor? What kind of favor Mrs. Caulfield?"

"Actually, before I asked about the favor, I wanted to ask about something else first. I'm just curious. Why exactly are you so interested on what happened that night of the storm all those years ago? It happened before you were born."

Chloe stops pacing around the office, crosses her arms, and takes a seat on her office desk. Rebecca tries to play it cool and not look suspicious.

"Well, I just find the subject matter interesting. I saw a Top 10 Youtube video about unexplained mysteries, and that storm was number one. I was hooked since then so I looked up more videos about the topic. That's all."

Chloe nods her head and accepts Rebecca's answer.

"Hey Mrs. C, may I ask you, what do _you think of the storm?"_ Rebecca turns the tables on Chloe, who did not expect that question at all. Chloe gets up from the desk and paces around the room once again. She struggles to respond and remain oblivious.

"T-the storm? Well, it was just a random force of destruction that randomly appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the city. That's all I know about it. I never bothered to look too much into it. Storms come and go. They destroy stuff. That's what they do heh."

Rebecca observes Chloe's body language and facial expressions carefully. She notices that Chloe is looking away from her,is experiencing shortness of breath, and she's twiddling her thumbs too much. Although Rebecca would like to continue talking about the storm with Mrs. Caulfield, she can feel her phone vibrating and decides to call it a day.

"So, what about that favor?"

Chloe looks back at her and subtly regains her composure. She takes a seat on her big comfy office chair.

"Oh yeah, the favor. Okay, I need you to babysit Rachel tomorrow night. Max and I are going to see a specialist out of state, for a second opinion. I'm sure you can imagine why. Max doesn't want to give up and wants to know all possible options for me. So we're going to be away for the whole day tomorrow and come back on Sunday morning. As you know, William has a big game tomorrow night in at Tacoma and will probably be out all night long. I  _could_  hire a babysitter but I thought I'd ask you first. I thought you might want the extra money. That's all. No obligations though. I understand if you can't."

_Oh gosh, babysitting that little brat? That little freak who always stares me down and is rude to me. I don't think so._

"Well...I mean...sure why not? However, I must admit that this might not be a great idea. You see Mrs. C, I don't think Rachel likes me very much. Every time we see each other or are in the same room together, she always gives me the stink eye. She acts very sarcastic and just rude around me. I'm sorry, but even William has called her out for it at one point. I don't know why though. I always try to be friendly towards her but she always rejects me."

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it, Rachel does act a bit different towards you. However, I think she might just be jealous that you're taking her big brother away from her. You see Rebecca, the two of them had the perfect older brother-younger sister relationship. I guess you...kinda ruin that...in her point of view. Ever since you came into Will's life, they stopped hanging out for the most part. Maybe tomorrow night, if you agree to babysit, the two of you can become friends. I'm sure Rachel will begin to like you, she just needs to know more about you. I think that after spending some time alone with you, she will see how special and amazing you really are. What do you say? I'll give you full access to our home, leave some money for pizza or something, and I'll pay you triple your hourly rate here."

_Full access to their home hmm? Maybe I'll uncover more information about them if I look in the right places. I've only seen the living room, the bathroom, and the kitchen. I've never seen the rest of their house. This could be promising. I just have to deal with that kid. Oh well, I just have to feed her to the TV. That should do the trick._

"Maybe you're right Chloe. Alright, I'll do it!"

**To Be Continued in Chapter 29.**

**Preview:**

**This kid is driving me nuts! Stop acting like a goddamn brat. I mean it! Where are you? Where the hell did she go? Oh man, they are going to kill me! Hmm...Max's drawers. A secret room? She's into some serious meds! What's this? I recognize this! What was that? What the fuck was that shadow? Where the hell did she come from?**

**Title: TBA**


	29. The Baby Sitter

**The Baby Sitter**

* * *

 

"You'll be a nice girl, ok Rachel? Rebecca's in charge tonight and tomorrow. So listen to whatever she says."

"I  _will_  mom." Rachel crosses her arms and looks away from her mother, appearing unhappy that Rebecca is her babysitter.

"That's a good girl. I'll see you Sunday morning. I'll take you to the park or wherever you want to go once we come back. I promise."

"Sounds great mom. Goodbye Chloe. Goodbye Max."

Chloe drops to her knees to hug and kiss her daughter on the cheek. Max doesn't say anything to her daughter but does give her a hug, caresses her hair, and waves goodbye. As Max leaves, she gives Rebecca a barely noticeable nod and then joins her wife, holding hands, as they leave. Rebecca watches the Caulfields drive way in Chloe's Porsche Cayenne and waves them goodbye. Rebecca was inside the house, carefully observing from a distance, the body language, dialogue, and behavior of the Caulfields. Rachel shuts the door once her parents are no longer in sight and immediately goes towards her room, bypassing and ignoring Rebecca in the process. Rebecca gets annoyed by this but tries to make conversation with the little girl.

"Hey Rach, your mom left money for pizza. Do you want me to order some and watch a movie or something?"

"No thanks. I'm going to my room. Goodnight."

"But it's only 5:30!?"

"I  _know_. I have a phone you know? I know the time."

"But your mom said you haven't had dinner yet. Are you going to bed on an empty stomach?"

"I'll be fine. Goodnight."

Rachel turns away from Rebecca and speed walks towards her room. Although Rebecca thinks she shouldn't care about how William's sister treats her, she can't but feel bothered by her behavior. Rebecca speed walks and tabs Rachel on her shoulder before she shuts her bedroom's door.

"Wait hold on Rachel, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it now?" Rachel crosses her arms again and acts sassy. Rebecca has had enough and presses Rachel for information.

"Why are you rude to me? What have I done to you?"

"I don't trust you. I don't like you." Rachel casually responds, feeling no remorse. Rebecca is completely taken back by this.

"But  _why_? Why don't you like me?"

"My best friend told me that you're not a good person. She never lies to me, so I believe her. I can tell that she's right. You're a bad person Rebecca!" Rachel points at her and tries to shut the door but Rebecca prevents it from closing with her foot.

"Your best friend!? Who's your best friend!? Who are you talking about!?"

"Her name's Laura." Rachel responds with a smirk.

_Who the fuck is this Laura? I don't know anybody that has that name. Who the fuck is her friend?_

"Laura? Who is this Laura? I don't know a Laura at all! Rachel, please, I don't know who this 'Laura' or what she has told you about me but I'm a good person. I haven't done anything wrong. What will it take to earn your respect and become friends?"

"Leave us alone." Rachel gets rid of her smirk and gives her the stare down.

"Leave you alone?"

"No, not only me. The whole family! We don't want you here!"

Rebecca puts her hands on her hips and tries to act sassy as well, hoping to counter attack Rachel's behavior.

"We? Well...your big brother wants me here. Your mom wants me here too. Who is this 'we' you're referring to?"

"Not for long, Rebecca. Laura and I don't want you here."

"Who is this Laura!? Please tell me. I want to speak to her."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"She doesn't want to talk to you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she told me."

"She told you?"

"Yeah, just now."

"Just now!? What do you mean by that?"

"Laura's right next to me. She's talking to me right now. She's telling me to tell you to leave us alone. Now."

"She's right next to you? I don't see anybody...wait...hold on..."

Rebecca now recalls hearing about this 'Laura' before from William.

"Oh, William mentioned this before. Laura is your imaginary friend right? Yeah, that was your imaginary friend's name. William told me all about it. Now it all makes sense...I totally get it now. Very cute. I was actually worried for a second."

Rebecca starts chuckling to herself, which bothers and angers Rachel.

"Don't make fun of me or my friend Laura, Rebecca. You'll regret it."

Rebecca chuckles even more and plays along. She rubs Rachel's head and walks away from her.

"Whatever kid. I'll leave you and your  _friend_ alone. Go ahead and have your fun in your room all by yourself, oops I mean you and Laura. If you need me, I'll be in the living room or at William's room. Goodnight Rachel and... _Laura_."

Rebecca keeps chuckling and Rachel sticks her tongue out once Rebecca turns her back towards her. Rachel closes and locks the door immediately afterwards.

_That's pretty cute but creepy at the same time. Isn't she too old to have an imaginary friend? Ah, who cares? At least I tried to talk to her and now I know why she doesn't like me. Imaginary friend. Go figure! Well, I guess babysitting her would be easier than I thought._ _I better keep an eye on her, at least until she goes to sleep. Then, I'll snoop around and see what I can find here. I did wanted to chill at the pool or at the hot tub but with the way this kid is acting, I rather not. I guess I'll watch a movie and work on some homework. I'll order some pizza in the meantime, just in case the kid changes her mind and of course, for myself._

Rebecca orders pizza and chills at the living room. She watches a movie on the Caulfield's huge TV and spends an hour working on homework. She also texts with Steph and Roger for a bit, who she hasn't hung out with in a long time. Steph tells her that she's at William's game at Tacoma and William's team is winning the game. While Rebecca chills in the living room, she keeps glancing at Rachel's door every five minutes, to see when and if she ever comes out. Even after the pizza arrives, Rachel doesn't budge and never comes out to eat dinner. Rebecca even tries to knock on her door at one point but only gets Rachel TV's volume raised up as a response. Rebecca gives up and watches another movie to pass the time.

Eventually, Rachel turns off her room's light and tv and seems to go to bed. Once she sees this, Rebecca turns off the living room tv, cleans up the living room, washes the dishes, and stores the rest of the pizza in the refrigerator. She double checks that Rachel room's light is off before deciding to snoop around upstairs. Thanks to William, she knows that Chloe has installed security cameras all over the house so she heads straight towards Chloe's small office upstairs and turns them off. However, as soon as this happens, she gets a text from Chloe, making sure everything was okay. Rebecca is startled and thinks the jig is up but she eventually texts Chloe back, reassuring her that everything is fine and that Rachel has already gone to bed. Chloe doesn't pursue the matter and thanks Rebecca for responding.

After that false alarm, Rebecca gets down to business. She first looks through Chloe's small office and browses the unlocked cabinets and drawers. She finds nothing but financial records, tax returns,bills, and other legal documents. After skimming through different binders and folders for about an hour, and finding nothing particularly interesting, she decides to take a look of the Caulfield's master bedroom. She enters the huge bedroom that looks like it's straight from a fancy five-star hotels magazine. The Caulfield's room might even resemble a luxury suite in Rebecca's eyes. She is in complete awe at first and feels extremely jealous but she eventually recalls why she's there in the first place and quickly gets rid of those envy feelings. She starts looking through the master bedroom's closet and drawers. At first, she is extra careful with their clothing and jewelry and makes sure to return everything to its proper place, but eventually, she becomes inpatient and aggressive and starts throwing stuff all over the room. She can always rewind time after all, even if she has to endure tremendous fatigue afterwards.

Several hours pass by and Rebecca reaches a dead-end. She has looked through their entire master bedroom and even the bathroom for any clues or oddities but finds nothing. She has looked under the bed, behind mounted paintings, inside shoeboxes and luggage, picture frames, underneath Max's awards and plaques but has come up with nothing, She even double checked Chloe's small office but still couldn't find any promising leads. The other things left to search are Rachel's room and the garage but Rebecca has no access to them. The garage is locked and of course, Rachel is inside her room. Completely frustrated, Rebecca wipes away her sweat from her forehead and kicks pillows and clothing in a fit of rage, before reluctantly putting everything back to where it was. As she is about to finish cleaning up, she makes the bed, as it has been disturbed by Rebecca's messy detective work. As she removes the bed sheets and covers, she hears something falling on the floor. The fallen object makes a metal sound as it hits the floor. Rebecca picks it up and realizes that it's a switchblade. She inspects it closely and scratches her head.

_A knife? What's a knife doing under their bed? This is kinda weird. Why would Chloe or Max have a knife on their beds? For protection? Perhaps, but...I don't know. This is pretty strange. I'm getting some...vibes from this knife. I sense feelings of...terror..and death from this knife. But how? Why? Wait a minute...where have I seen this knife before? I've seen this knife before! But where?_

As Rebecca tries to remember where she seen this knife before, she starts hearing voices in head. These voices are of her adoptive parents. They are crying out for help. Suddenly, Rebecca finds herself back at her Portland house, exactly as she remembered it. Rebecca freaks out but realizes that she can't move or say anything. She can only watch, frozen still, as the flashback and voices play out, like an edited video or a movie. She sees her parents, sitting on the living room couch, enjoying each other's company, and then sees a hooded figure, standing around five feet and five inches tall, come from behind them and slitting their throats. As much as Rebecca tries to look away from the horrific scene, she can't. Her eyes focus on the blade the hooded figure is wielding. It's the same knife that she was holding in her hand. Rebecca tries her best to rewind time and snap out from the apparent nightmare but feels completely powerless and scared. After hearing her parents scream in agonizing pain,she gets blinded by a bright yellow light that comes out of nowhere, which brightens the entire living room. However, she can't move her head or use her arms to look away from the light. Suddenly, she sees a silhouette of a deer in the middle of the light. She begins to hear the voice of a little girl calling out her name.

"Rebecca! Earth to Rebecca! Hello? Can you hear me?"

Rebecca catches her breath, drops the knife, and sits down on the floor. She puts her hands on her face and tries to come back to reality. She can still hear her parent's screams inside her head. She violently shakes her head and looks at the fallen knife.

_This...this is the knife...that killed my parents! It's the same exact knife! Max Caulfield...killed my parents! There's no doubts about it! She's the killer! I-I can't believe it...I found the murder weapon...oh my god. What the fuck was that? Jesus Christ! I haven't had a nightmare like that in months. Holy fucking shit._

"Hellloooooooo. Are you okay Rebecca?"

Rebecca turns head to her right and looks at the little girl next to her. It's Rachel, who has left her room to apparently check up on her. Rachel looks concerned but at the same time wierded out by Rebecca's behavior. Rachel crosses her arms and starts to question Rebecca.

"R-Rachel?"

"Yeah, of course it's me. What are you doing in my parent's bedroom?"

Rebecca quickly gets up and tries to play it cool. She wipes away her sweat and tries to breathe normally, but fails miserably. She hasn't recovered from that experience at all, both mentally and physically.

"Oh, I-I-I was just making the bed..."

"Why? It was already made! What's up with the knife you were holding? Why are you sweating so much? What happened here?"

"I-I-I found it in the room and it fell. Your mom told me to clean the room...so...I did. That's why I'm sweating...there's a lot to clean heh and it's so hot in here..."

"Really? That doesn't make any sense, their room is always clean and it's pretty..."

"Look Rachel, I don't know. I'm just following your parent's instructions. I was just about to finish before you came. Now go back to your room, please. Hey, I thought you were going to be locked up in your room and stay with your...friend...all night long." Rebecca tries to take control of the situation and act normal.

"Well, I had a feeling something wasn't right. I heard strange noises coming from upstairs and when I didn't see you in the living room or at my brother's room, I went to my parent's room. That's when I found you here...acting so strange."

"Alrighty then, well...sorry for making noise...now...go back to bed. I'll be heading to bed myself too...after a shower...it's been a long day for me."

Rachel raises her eyebrow and gives Rebecca the stink eye but ultimately shrugs her shoulders and heads back to her room.

"Whatever. Suit yourself. Goodnight,  _Rebecca_."

"Goodnight,  _Rachel_."

Rebecca grabs the knife from the floor and wants to take it with her, but ultimately decides to leave it where it was, to not raise suspicions. Rebecca does take a few pictures of the knife before she puts it away for good. She decides to call it a night and immediately goes to the bathroom to take a warm shower, hoping it will calm her down and make her fall asleep soundly.

Meanwhile, the Washington Huskies have just won a nail-biting game at Tacoma and the few Huskies fans present in the stands are celebrating the victory. Some of the Huskies players, including William Caulfield, greet their fans in the stands. Among the fans is Stephanie, Rebecca's best friend, who compliments William on a good game. William is delighted to see Steph cheering the team and staying post-game to congratulate them.

"Yo Steph! Thanks for coming!"

"Well you know, Let's Go Huskies!" Stephanie does a victory fist pump.

"That's the spirit! So how are you? Are you're here alone?"

"Yup! I'm great! How about you? I bet you feel pretty good right now. You sure kicked ass today William! It was all you!"

"Thanks Stephanie, but I didn't do it all by myself. I do appreciate your support though! It was always great to have fans on away games."

"Anytime Will! So, uh, what are you going to do right now?"

"Well, some of the guys want to go out and party. I think I'll join them for a bit before I call it a night. How about you?"

"Oh. You go ahead and have fun with your buddies. You deserved it! I'm just going back to Seattle and get some rest. I have a test tomorrow anyways. I just wanted to support you and the team..."

"I really appreciate that! I'm glad we became friends again...after...you know..."

"That's...in the past Will. No hard feelings. We only live once. So why hold grudges? We had a special friendship going on and I want to keep it."

"Hey, I like that philosophy of yours. You're completely right!"

"Glad to hear it. So, how's...Rebecca? You know, you took her away from me. She no longer hangs out with me after you guys started dating."

The two of them share a laugh.

"She's great. We're great. I just wish she would swing by once in a while and watch me play."

"She hasn't attended a single game?"

"Nah, she finds football boring and is always busy with school or work. Sometimes I regret recommending her to my Mom because now Rebecca's always too occupied, stressed, or too tired to do anything together. She always needs some 'alone' time too. I don't know." William shakes his head and looks disappointed for a moment before smiling at her again.

"Well, hopefully everything works out for the two of you and you guys find more time to be together and have fun."

"Thanks. That means a lot, ya know?"

The two of them smile at each other before William gets distracted by teammates pouring Gatorade over him.

"Dammit guys! Sorry Steph but I have to go and hit the showers now. You have a goodnight Miss Anderson. Drive safely."

"Have a goodnight Mr. Caulfield. Go Huskies!"

Stephanie does the Huskies' hand signal and William salutes her as he leaves with his teammates. Stephanie enjoys the little moment they had together and goes home happy, thinking of what could've been.

As Rebecca is showering and Stephanie is driving back to Seattle, two women are having a phone conversation in the privacy of their bedrooms. One of the woman is a Hispanic brunette woman laying on bed, drinking some wine. The other woman is a light-brown haired white woman who is sitting with her feet on her desk, with a notepad, an agenda, and a folder on the desk. She has jazz playing on the radio.

"Anything yet, Miss Watson?" The brunette woman quietly asks while she drinks some wine.

"Negative, Miss Flores."

"Really? Nothing at all?"

"Well, I do have something going on at the Portland Police Bureau on Monday. Probably nothing. I'll let you know the outcome..."

"Excellent. I'll be waiting for your phone call. Night."

The brunette Latina woman hangs up the phone and continues drinking wine in her bed. She turns off her room's light. On the other side of the phone, the light-brown haired white woman takes some notes on her notepad and puts it away, along with the folder and agenda, in a desk drawer. She turns off the desk lamp, unties her hair, and whistles on her way towards the bathroom.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	30. Saved by the Doe

**Chapter 30**

* * *

"What is this place?"

"My school. Blackwell Academy. There is where everything started."

"Oh, I see. Why have you brought me here?"

"I want to show you a few things. Just watch the main entrance. Any second now."

Rebecca finds herself in front of a high school with Sean Prescott's son, Nathan Prescott. She has no idea how she got there and why she's even here right now. The little boy she once built sandcastles with has now grown up to be a handsome but troubled teenager. They sit together by the school's statue as Rebecca observes the environment. Just like any of other sequences involving Nathan, the world around them is distorted and weirdly constructed. No colors. People appearing out of nowhere. Buildings half-built. No sign of animal life.

Suddenly, she sees another Nathan getting attacked by one of the students, who is wearing a letterman jacket. The student is much bigger than Nathan and easily overpowers him. Rebecca can't seem to control her body to try to interfere so she has choice but to witnesses Nathan getting beat up. A crowd quickly gathers and watches the harassment unfold. Rebecca questions why nobody is trying to stop them.

"That's for my father, twitch boy", the black male says to Nathan, who is pleading for the attack to stop and call out for help.

Rebecca looks at the crowd around them and notices someone familiar. She recognizes one of the people watching as her boss, Chloe Price, who's just looking what is happening in front of her without a care in the world. Rebecca realizes that although she sees people mouth's moving and obviously saying something, she doesn't hear any their voices. One of the girls watching, a brown-haired white girl, pleads for the bully to stop but he pushes her aside. The other Nathan sees this and gets angry and tries to fight off the football player but is quickly thrown at the ground once again. Rebecca wants to help but for unknown reasons, she can only stand and watch. None of the crowd seem to know of Rebecca or Nathan's presence.

Eventually, the attacker leaves Nathan alone and the brown-haired girl goes to his aid. However, much to Rebecca's surprise, Nathan brushes her aside and walks away. The brown-haired girl looks at Nathan as he walks away, clearly concerned and worried about him. She eventually leaves the scene with Chloe and the others. A tall black man, wearing a suit, walks out of the school's main entrances and looks around to investigate, but eventually goes back inside. Rebecca loses sight of the other Nathan and tries to follow him but as soon as she thinks of this, the Nathan that was sitting next to her grabs her by the shoulder. This Nathan, however, seems to have a bruises all over his face and body.

"Oh my god, look at you! Why did he attack you!?"

"Because...of my dad. My dad did something to his dad so he took out his family's anger and frustration on me. He made fun of me and my hobbies as well."

" Oh my god, I'm sorry! He shouldn't have done that! I can't believe nobody helped you!"

"Yeah,I know. Except for Samantha."

"Samantha?"

"Yeah, the girl who pleaded for him to stop and came up to me when he left? That's Samantha Myers."

"Oh, that's the girl's name huh. She was the only one who cared about you from that group. You kinda ignored her and just stormed off when she was trying to help though. "

"Yeah, that was stupid of me. She wanted to help me but I refused to accept her help. I really regret it now."

"I wish I could've helped you. However, I couldn't move or say anything!"

"That's okay. There's nothing you could've done anyways.  _Someone else_ could've helped me but she didn't decide to, despite Samantha's pleas. Anyways, this was my life in high school for a while. I wanted to show you an example of what I went through. I was bullied and harassed for being who I am. Despite being from the richest family in town, hardly anybody cared about me or payed me any respect."

The setting around them completely changes into various places as Nathan explains his life. She hears voices of people making fun of him, his family disciplining him, and others whispers and cries from unknown sources.

"That must've been awful."

"It  _was_  awful Rebecca. I had nobody to go to. My parents were always too occupied and careless to think about me. My older sister, Kristine, showed me love and compassion but she had to move away so she wasn't here for me either. I had a lot of time to myself. My parents stopped caring about me ever since I entered high school. The only times my parents ever paid any attention to me was whenever it benefited them or their investments. So friendless and unpopular, I was desperate to find acceptance."

All of a sudden Rebecca finds herself by a gym's swimming pool, where there is a huge party going on. Dozens if not hundreds of teenagers are partying in and around the pool, with a DJ playing loud music. Nathan shows her around and points out a different Nathan, who's drinking beer with a group of people, who seem to be athletes.

"So, I decided to use my parent's wealth and influence to my advantage. I helped pay for these parties, so I could join the Vortex Club."

"The Vortex Club?"

"Yeah, it was the school's most popular and elite social club. All the 'cool party kids' and sports players were apart of it. I thought that paying for people to have fun would make them like me and respect me. I accomplished that sort of...I did join the vortex club and soon became one of the main heads, along with someone named, Victoria. People started to invite me to their own parties and hang out with them. It was around this time I started doing drugs and drinking heavily. For a bit, I felt that I actually had real friends and that I belonged to something. So I starting acting tough and superior to others. I became one of the bullies. I harassed others and encouraged the rest of the vortex club to act like me. I felt like I was on top of the world."

The background noises of voices of Nathan and others having fun and partying fade away, replaced by scenes of Nathan being alone in his room and feeling miserable.

"So, what happened?"

"Those feelings didn't last. Eventually, I figured out that the Vortex Club and my so called 'friends', only cared about my money. They couldn't careless about me. They made fun of me and my family behind my back. During one party, I was so blazed and surrounded by dozens of people, all high or drunk out of their minds, yet I never felt so alone. I started abusing drugs so much that it actually got my father's attention. He sent me to a psychiatrist. They gave me pills. I took them. They didn't help much though. My mental health was deteriorating by the day. I was alone, depressed, and...vulnerable. That's when I met... _him._

"Don't worry Nathan, you can trust me. I'm here for you. Let me teach you the way..." An older man's voice is heard. Rebecca realizes that she has heard the man's voice before, but can't recall who it belongs to.

"Who was that Nathan?"

"Someone else who took advantage of me and manipulated me. I saw him as a replacement father figure. He taught me...some stuff that I'm not proud of. I listened to every word he said. I trusted him. I told him about my problems. He listened. However, he never truly cared about me. He used me for my father's money. He led me to a dark and terrible path in my life. He twisted my mind and brought out the worst out of me. I...hurt someone I liked because of him and his  _teachings_."

Rebecca gets a glimpse of the "someone" Nathan was referring to. She recognizes the beautiful girl as Rachel Amber, the girl who went missing and got murdered by Mr. Jefferson. She recognizes her from the photo that was inside the Caulfield's buried journal. She sees the gorgeous, energetic, and playful Rachel Amber passing by, giving Nathan a wink, saying hi to him, and walking off. She observes Nathan being shy around her and awkwardly waving goodbye to Rachel. Suddenly, Rebecca finds herself in some sort of basement or room. She can hear a girl crying and sounds of photos being taken. These sequences don't last more than ten seconds but Rebecca is overwhelmed by dozens of different feelings and sensations. Next, Rebecca finds herself by a garbage dump site or junkyard in the middle of the night. Nathan starts walking away from her. Rebecca looks at the sky and notices something unusual.

"Holy shit, look at the moon! There are two of 'em! How the fuck? Oh my god Nathan, where are we? This place is fucking scary!"

"The end is near Rebecca." Nathan responds but doesn't look at her and walks away slowly, like a zombie.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Our time together is over. We'll meet again soon though."

"Where are you going? Wait hold on!"

"Goodbye Rebecca."

Nathan turns away from her and looks down at the ground. Out of nowhere, Rebecca sees a shadow or something dark approaching Nathan. Somehow, Rebecca notices that the shadow or silhouette or whatever this entity is, is carrying a gun.

"Wait! Leave him alone!"

However, Rebecca's screaming and pleas doesn't faze the shadowy figure. She hears a loud sound, followed by Nathan's body dropping to the ground.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NATHAN!"

The shadowy figure turns around and faces Rebecca and starts moving towards her. Rebecca tries to run away but once again, can't seem to control her body or mind. She starts to freak out and experience a panic attack. However, the mysterious figure is forced to retreat once an overpowering and shining yellow light appears in between them. Rebecca is in awe by the sensation of the light and stares at it for a long time. Little by little, she makes out that light is solid and has a certain shape. She widens her eyes as she realizes that the light is coming from a doe or a deer.

"REBECCA!" A young girl screams her name.

Rebecca abruptly jumps and stands up from wherever she was. She checks her hands, arms, and the rest of her body.

"Woah! Are you alright Rebecca?" The young girl asks.

"What! Huh?! Where am I?"

"You're in my house Rebecca, remember?. Were you having a nightmare?"

Rebecca catches her breath, wipes away her tears and sweat, and looks around. She realizes that she's back in the Caulfield's living room. It is now day time. 10 year-old Rachel Caulfield is looking at her, completely freaked out by her behavior. Rebecca realizes that she was just experiencing a nightmare and is greatly relieved to have woken up from it. So relieved in fact, Rebecca hugs Rachel, which catches Rachel completely off guard.

"Uhhh, what are you doing Rebecca?" Rachel says, annoyed and confused by her babysitter's behavior.

Rebecca catches her herself and lets Rachel go.

"Oh my...sorry about that Rachel. I really was having a nightmare. It was so scary..."

"I bet. You were screaming and crying for about twenty minutes."

"I-I was? Seriously? Oh jeez, that never happened to be before. Sorry if I woke you up or something. That nightmare though...it felt so real! Damn, my mind is going crazy right now! Ugh, how long did I sleep?"

"Well, it's 3pm."

"3 pm!?"

"Yeah! You were asleep all morning long. I didn't want to wake you up. It looked like you were having a great sleep after all, until just now of course."

_What the fuck? Was I really asleep for nearly 15 hours? Oh god...thank god I woke up from that shit. It felt so damn! real. That shit was fucking scary. Was that really how Nathan Prescott died? I gotta look it up one of these days. I can't I believe I saw him in front of my eyes. Oh my god Rachel...I was supposed to be babysitting her. What the hell am I doing? I better make sure she wasn't up to no good._

Rebecca grabs her head and tries to play it off.

"Well, I'm sorry for sleeping in. I guess I was super tired from last night and just crashed hard. What have you been doing all day long?"

"Oh,  _nothing_. Just...hanging out..."

"Oh, okay...well...what do you want to do now?"

"Well, I think I'm just going to watch TV and do some homework. Maybe draw something. I don't know."

"Oh-o-okay..."

"Are you sure you're alright? Rachel crosses her arms and questions her.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'm fine! As I said, it was a nightmare. I'll get over it. Anyways, I'll just chill here until your brother comes home. I'll be here when you need me. Oh gosh, once again I'm so sorry for being asleep all day long! You must be hungry! Do you want me to order something to eat?"

"Actually, I already ordered chinese food. I ordered you a chicken bowl. It's there if you want it." Rachel points to the kitchen and she sees several plastic bags and containers.

"Oh, you already ordered food. I see. Okay, well, thanks for getting me something. I appreciate that."

"Sure. I like your ring by the way. I like its color." Rachel gives a brief grin and turns away from her and walks towards her room. She doesn't shut the door completely this time around.

_Damn. Two freaky events in a row in this house. Something is not right. Thank god I'm outta here soon. I better check my phone. I bet the Caulfields have spammed my phone by now._

Rebecca checks out her phone and sees that she has missing calls from William, Chloe, Stephanie, and an unknown number. They have all texted her as well, but it seems that Chloe and William's texts have been answered already. Somehow, Rachel gained access to Rebecca's phone and responded to the texts, so they wouldn't be worried about them. Rebecca scratches her head and thinks of how Rachel was able to respond by using her phone. However, she quickly shifts her attention to a voicemail she received. Rebecca realizes that the unknown number is the one who left the voice message. She plays it and hears:

"Good afternoon Miss Styles. This is lead homicide detective Marcel Carter. Can you please return my message at your earliest convenience at (503) 823-3333 ex 21151. This is about your parent's case. I just have some questions. Thank you."

_The police are still investigating my parent's murders? I bet they aren't even close to figuring out the truth! They are just wasting their time and resources. They are never going to figure it out. I already know who's responsible. Anyways, I want to take care of it by myself. I don't need the police. I'll just ignore their calls for now. I hope they don't keep calling..._

As Rebecca puts her phone away, she gets another phone call, from the same number.

_Too late. This must be something interesting if they are calling again. I guess I better answer just to shut them up._

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	31. The Feather Earring

 

"Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak to Miss Rebecca Styles?"

"Speaking."

"Hi there Miss Styles, this is lead Homicide detective Carter from Portland. I'm calling about your parent's case. Do you remember me? We met each other once."

"Oh yes, I received your voicemail. I do remember you. How are you doing detective?"

"I'm well Miss Styles. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your parent's case. I'm sorry that it has been months since we last contacted you, but believe me, we haven't forgotten about you or your parents."

"Well, thank you Detective but I rather not talk about my parent's deaths right now. I'm not in the mood."

"I completely understand Miss Styles and I'm sorry for bringing it up but we have hit a brick wall here. No witnesses have come forward. No tips. No forensic evidence. No explanation for the destruction of your home. Nothing. We have exhausted our resources Rebecca. We have no leads. The only thing that sticks out is that butterfly photo we found at the crime scene. I know you said it was a family photo or something but we just find it odd that it was on the ground near the front door. As if it was planted there. Somebody here brought up the idea of testing the photo for any foreign fingerprints. Can you please send us that photo?"

Rebecca gets startled and tries to make up an excuse of not giving up the photo. She wants no part in the police investigation.

"No, I-I-I no longer have that photo. I discarded it. Sorry."

"What!? Seriously!? Dammit! Are you _sure_  Rebecca?" The Detective raises his voice and begins to sound agitated.

"I'm pretty sure."

"Oh, damn. This is a huge setback. Well then, we are really out of options now. Dammit! Ugh. I'm sorry Miss Styles. I know you wished not to release information about your parent's case to the public and media, but we really don't have a choice anymore. I want to catch the ones responsible, just as much as you do. Maybe somebody out there has information. As a matter of fact, there's a producer of a crime show that is interested in your parent's case. She contacted us today. She wants to help you and help us spread the word-"

"No, please don't! I don't want my parent's case to be on the news, on TV, or on the internet! I demand you to keep this to ourselves. If you release anything to that producer or any news outlet, I'll sue."

"Miss Styles, please. Without that photo or any leads, we reached a dead-end! If you don't help us Rebecca, your parents case may never be solved."

"I fully understand detective but I have no interest of involving the media. Please respect my wishes. That's what I want and what my parents would want too."

Rebecca can hear Detective Carter huffing and puffing. His voice gets even more angrier and frustrated.

"Fine. I need you to come to headquarters for questioning then."

"What!? Why!?"

"You are the last known person to see your parents alive. I know we had a brief conversation but we never conducted an official police interview with you. We just want to know what you were up to around the time of the murders and get answers to other questions."

"Wait. Are you  _seriously_ considering me a suspect?"

"I'm not saying that."

"But you're implying that!"

"Miss Styles, we just want to talk to you. Please come to Portland."

"No. Do you have a warrant?"

"Of course I don't."

"Then I won't go. I'm in Seattle now. I don't have time for this!"

"You don't have time to help solve your parent's homicide case!?"

"I'm afraid I don't. Don't worry, I'll figure it out eventually."

"I must say Miss Styles, your actions and words up to this point have been rather...suspicious."

"Detective. If the thought that  _I_  had something to do with my parent's deaths is on your mind, then you need to be fired. Because you don't have a clue. Have a good day."

Click!

Rebecca hangs up on the Detective and tosses her phone away. On the other side of the line, Detective Carter repeatedly says Rebecca's name until he realizes that she hanged up the phone. He sighs in frustration and drinks a glass of water. He addresses the woman who is in the office with him, who was also listening to their conversation. The woman is an attractive white woman with light-brown hair tied in a bun and has dark green eyes. She is wearing sunglasses and a 50's style hat. She appears to be classy and wealthy middle age woman.

"See? She doesn't want to talk to you or anybody, Miss Watson. She's a very strange person. It's like she doesn't even care! We're trying to help her but she refuses our efforts! I may have to take a closer look at her. I'm sorry Miss Watson but you probably need to take up another case for your show."

The woman removes her sunglasses and takes one last look at the Styles' case folder. The detective quickly takes it from her as he doesn't want her to see a lot of details. The woman smiles at him, pretending to be careless.

"Detective Carter. Do you really need her permission to release information?"

"I'm afraid so. Sorry. Until she authorizes it, I can't discuss this case with you any further."

"Hmm...perhaps  _I_  can persuade her."

"How?"

"I have an idea. Several actually. Thank you for your time Detective. Hopefully we meet again."

The attractive light-brown haired woman puts her sunglasses back on and gathers her belongings. They shake hands as they both stand up.

"See you Miss Watson."

The Detective opens the door for Miss Watson, the apparent TV producer. She smiles at him and thanks him as she leaves the room. He shrugs his shoulders and goes back to normal duties. He puts away the Styles' folder and resumes investigating another homicide case.

"Next stop. The Bay." The woman utters under her breath as she leaves the police department building.

Meanwhile, Rebecca has finished eating the chicken bowl Rachel ordered for her and is finishing washing the dishes. To her surprise, she sees that Rachel is now at the living room, watching TV. Rebecca scratches her head as she did not see or hear Rachel coming out from her room. She also didn't hear the TV being on until she turned around and saw Rachel at the couch. Rebecca observes Rachel watching TV and tries to sense her feelings and emotions but somehow, she can't. It's like there's a brick wall between the two of them. She realizes that every time they have come across with each other, it hasn't never been a good experience for Rebecca. Up to this point, she can sense and feel other people's emotions, both positive and negative. She can read through people very easily and immediately know when someone is lying to her or know exactly how they are actually feeling. Not even Chloe or Max Caulfield are immune to this. It seems that this is the case for everybody, except for Rachel Caulfield.

_This child. Something is up with this child. I always feel dumb or come across like an idiot in front of her. I can't be my usual self around this kid. I don't know what comes over me whenever she's around. D-Does she have powers? She's the daughter of Max Caulfield after all. But if she does powers, what are they? Why can't I detect them? I just need to keep an eye on her. She's just a kid after all, what can she possibly do to me?_

Rebecca, with nowhere else to go, joins Rachel at the living room. She's watching  _Frozen 2_  and singing along with the songs. Rebecca has seen the movie several times and slowly joins Rachel in the sing along. Rachel turns around and gives Rebecca a 'Seriously?' look, which immediately quiets Rebecca. However, Rachel quickly changes her mood and laughs, and continues singing along. She invites Rebecca to sing along again, by raising her hands at her. Rebecca realizes that Rachel was just fucking around with her and resumes singing along with her, now loudly. As the song finishes, Rachel nods her head in approval and observes Rebecca.

_Well, that was kind of fun. She's a good singer. She really fooled me with that look, I thought she wanted me to shut up but no. It looks like I may have found finally something in common with this child. We like Disney songs. She's smiling at me. For real this time though. Looks like she wants to talk to me about something. Alright Rebecca, don't ruin the moment.._

"Hey Rebecca, why do you like my brother?"

_What? She asking me about William!? Why now? Oh, just go along with it._

"Well, he's sweet, smart, resourceful, always knows what to say or do, very adventurous and outgoing, and well-he's very cute."

Rachel nods her again in approval and chuckles.

"Yeah, you described my brother very well. He has had many girlfriends you know, but none of them have been as beautiful as you."

Rebecca is caught off guard by the sudden compliment. This is the first compliment she has ever received from the kid. It actually sounded genuine as well. She tries not to question it further and remains humble.

"Thank you Rachel. You are very beautiful as well. I love your...feather earring."

_Damn. I think I just killed the moment. I just called a kid beautiful. She might think I'm a pedophile or something. As silly as that sounds, I'm just super anxious around this kid. She knows how to twist my words and feelings. She's still smiling though, so I think I'm fine._

"Thank you Rebecca. I love my feather earrings. I have many of them in my room. However, the one I wear the most is this one. I love purple. I love blue too but this purple one is my favorite. My mom, well, Chloe, got it for me when we were in California. We were at the Santa Monica Pier and a woman was selling them. I was immediately drawn towards her shop and chose this earring. Chloe was very happy to get it for me. She told me that it reminded her of an old friend. So I started getting more of them. I just love how it looks on me and it makes my mother happy. So why not wear one every day?"

"That's a nice story Rachel. You have...great...parents."

"Yeah, I love them so much. What about your parents?"

"Well, actually...I don't have them anymore."

"What? What happened to them?"

"I rather not talk about it actually."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Is that what the phone call was about?"

"You heard that?"

"Just a little bit. I'm sorry."

"Well, yeah, it was about my parents. Let's not talk about that though. Let's go back to watching the movie."

"Oh, alright. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

'It's fine Rachel. You're just curious."

"Yeah I am, I been told that many times. Hmm...I think my parents are here already."

"What!? Are you sure? I didn't hear anything and I didn't get a text."

"Pretty sure."

Sure enough, Rebecca sees the front door being opened and sees two middle-age women walking in. It's Max and Chloe Caulfield. Rachel immediately runs towards her parents and hugs them. Rebecca follows her shortly afterwards and lets the Caulfield have a private moment with each other before walking towards them. However, she is surprised by Max's rather rude behavior to her daughter. She brushes her aside, although gently, and directly walks upstairs. As Max passes by, she and Rebecca make eye contract. Although it only lasts a second, Rebecca can clearly see that Max is not well. Tremendous amount of negative energy and feelings of depression, frustration, and anger are coming from her body. Her eye tells the entire story. Chloe holds onto Rachel and watches Max leave, looking worried about her wife. She reassures her daughter that everything is fine and asks her if she ate already. Rachel says yes and reminds Chloe that she promised her that she would take her to the park when they arrive. Although Chloe looks tired and not in the mood, she sighs and orders Rachel to get ready. Rachel happily goes to her room to change clothes. Chloe smiles briefly but it quickly disappears. Chloe then turns her attention towards Rebecca, who has observed from a distance. Chloe shuts the door and joins Rebecca at the living room.

"So, how was everything?" Chloe checks out the kitchen and living room, making sure everything is in order before sitting down.

"Everything was fine. I kinda...slept late and woke up late though."

"Don't worry about it. You're in college after all. I'm sure you were doing homework and stuff."

"Yeah, you can say that."

"How was Rachel?"

"She was fine. She stayed in her room most of the time though. I tried to play games or do something with her but she didn't want to."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you tried. Oh, you even put on  _Frozen_  for her. That's nice of you."

"Actually, before you guys came, we were actually getting along. We were talking and singing along."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it was nice. It didn't last very long but it made my day."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Chloe smiles briefly but then sighs and puts her head down. Chloe utters something under her breath and seems to be speaking to herself. She clearly has many things running through her mind. Rebecca is very curious to hear what the Stanford University doctors said about her condition but feels bad on asking. However, Chloe seems overwhelmed by her thoughts and starts speaking.

"Hey Rebecca. I need your help."

"My help? Sure. What is it boss?"

"Well, first of all, please keep what I'm about to say, to yourself. Don't tell anybody else unless I say so. Not even William."

"Okay...what is it Mrs. Caulfield?"

"I don't want to get into too much details Rebecca, but all we received over there is bad news. My...situation is getting worse and worse. We got a huge reality check today, we weren't at all ready for it. Oddly enough, even though I'm the sickest person here, the person I'm most worried about is Max."

"Max? What's wrong with her?"

"She's... _different._  She's not taking the news lightly at all. She's really worrying me. She doesn't talk to me. She barely eats. She acts like a zombie. Even my own efforts to cheer her up doesn't cut it anymore. She's clearly upset and devastated about my situation but she's acting like I'm dead. I'm not. I'm still alive and kicking. She's the one acting lifeless. I hate seeing her like this. She's never been this bad. Not even back when she decided to...ummm...nevermind about that. I have to force her to see her psychiatrist tomorrow. Hopefully she helps her. She needs professional help, as much as she doesn't want to admit it. Oh look at me. I'm sorry for rambling on and being such a downer. I just-I just have many things on my mind right now."

_Decided to destroy Arcadia bay? That must be what she was talking about. Well, she ain't kidding. Just looking at Max gave me goosebumps._

Although Rebecca wants to ask more questions, she decides against it and gets closer to Chloe to comfort her. Rebecca puts her arm over Chloe's shoulder. This eases Chloe a bit and her making contact with Rebecca seems to remind her of something.

"Don't worry though, I still have plenty of time left and I will fight this motherfuckin' disease to the very end, but I-I just need to start planning things out. Quicker than I thought. Especially about the company."

"You're a tough woman boss. I'm so sorry that this is all happening to you. I can't imagine being in your place. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, as a matter of fact, you can do something for me. On the plane, I had hours to myself, since Max was so quiet. Just thinking about my future and my family. I had to come to several realizations that I'm not particularly fond of but I have to face reality and accept it. Anyways, I know this is going to sound odd and you're obviously not obligated to say 'Yes' but, how would you feel, if I put you in charge of the company?"

"Me!? In charge!? Become...the CEO?!"

_What the fuck? No way. She cannot be serious!_

"Yes, Rebecca. I don't trust anybody else inside the company. I don't trust the corporate office. I know they will just replace me with some asshole who will ruin everything that I've accomplish. They will take down everything I've worked so hard for. I don't trust any newcomers either, no matter what university they went to. Nobody ever works out. Even if they do work out, they don't stay for long. I want the person who succeeds me to be trustworthy and someone in the family. The problem is that Rachel's too young, Max is too...umm...disinterested, and William has his own career goals to accomplish. I don't want to force him to make a career change just for me. I know this sounds crazy Rebecca, but you are the only one I can turn to."

"Well, I don't know Miss Caulfield. I didn't see this coming. I don't have any experience though. I'm not ready for this. What about Mayra?"

"Mayra is good. However, I don't see her running the whole show by herself. She can be one of the higher-ups if she keeps it up but never be the main boss."

"Well, I just don't think Mayra or anybody else would be happy to see me becoming the CEO. I don't have experienced, I didn't go to school for this, my current position is just data entry and filing and..."

"Who cares what people think Rebecca? Obviously you're not going to become CEO overnight. I need to train you for years. I need to teach you everything I know and teach you about the business. It's going to be a long process but I know you can do it. William has told me a lot of great things about you. Mayra and your other supervisors are on the same page. You have potential Rebecca. I can see you and William being together for a very long time. You're clearly a very loyal person. That's hard to come by nowadays. I wouldn't be asking you this if I wasn't so sure. You don't have to say 'Yes' or make any decision right now. I'll give you time to think about it. No pressure at all. I'm going to be around for a long time but slowly I'll be forced to make drastic life changing decisions for not only myself or my family, but for my employees and friends. I can't run the whole company on my death-bed. I'm a tough bitch, don't get me wrong, but I don't want it to come to that.

_Wow. Rebecca Styles. CEO. Holy shit. That sounds nice. I'm not sure if I'm really interested though. I find the company incredibly boring. I want to do my own thing. Plus, I have college still. I can't abandon my studies. My parents wouldn't like that one bit. Well, she said I can think about it but man, this is going to be on my mind 24/7 from now on._

"Well, I'm not sure what to say Mrs. Caulfield. I'm pleased that you think I'm CEO Material and all, but I just don't know. I'll think about it."

"Thanks Rebecca for considering it. Once again, you don't have to say yes. I could find someone else, but it would be a very challenging and stress-inducing task to find that particular someone. Anyways, here. Thanks again for babysitting Rachel on such short notice. Don't worry, I'll pay you for tomorrow morning as well. I'm a woman of my word."

As Chloe hands over money, consisting of several hundred bills, she immediately gets intrigued and starts thinking about the money part of being CEO.

"So, if I become CEO...how much would I make?"

"Let's just say a lot..."

"Wow! So I can actually own a big house like this, own several cars, and have a huge swimming pool when I'm a CEO? Now I'm really interested!"

They both share a laugh until Chloe informs Rebecca of a few important things.

"Well, actually, while the money is great, I couldn't possibly afford all of this using my CEO's salary. I actually own several small businesses around the country and I'm into the stock market. Max, of course, contributed as well so all you see here, you probably would need to work your ass off for a long time to live in a place like this. I'm just saying. I don't want to delude you."

"Wait, what? You own other businesses?"

"Yup! Sure do! I even co-own some restaurants!"

"That's cool...hey...if I become CEO...would I be owner of those businesses too? Will I, become the owner of everything you own?"

Chloe appears to be surprised by the question, laughs briefly, and quickly nods her head indicating 'No'.

"I'm afraid not Rebecca. That's separate. My own businesses, family finances, this home, and pretty much everything else I will manage by myself and keep it within the family. Just because you might be the CEO, it doesn't mean you will own everything here and become a multi-millionaire. Don't be silly Rebecca. I like your sense of humor."

Chloe smiles at her but Rebecca doesn't smile back. She looks down and takes one last look at the money given to her and puts it away. Chloe doesn't pursue the matter any longer and excuses herself. She heads towards Rachel's room to check up on her, leaving Rebecca alone at the living room.

_I knew it sounded too good to be true. I should've known better. Taking over this family won't be as easy as I thought. I don't want to become the CEO of her boring company, I want to be rich! I guess I have to pressure William on marrying me-wait-hold on Rebecca. Hold on. Did you really just think that? Holy shit. I think you need to take a break from the Caulfields for now. You're getting way too ahead of yourself. You got paid. Her parents are here. Mission accomplished. Time to get outta here and get some fresh air._

Rebecca gathers her belongings, washes up, and prepares to leave the house. However, Chloe offers to drive her back to her dorm room which she gladly accepts. Rachel comes with them, as the park is on the way back home. The ride is unremarkable and quiet. As Chloe drops her off, Rachel taps Rebecca on the shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Hey Rebecca. Thanks for dropping by. I want to give you something before you go."

"What is it?"

"Stick out your hand and close your eyes."

"Uh, alright."

Rebecca obliges as Rachel retrieves something from her jean's pockets and puts something soft on Rebecca's hand. She opens her eyes and realizes that it's one of the feather earrings Rachel has. It's a blue one.

"I hope you like it."

"I do. Thanks Rachel."

Rachel gives Rebecca a wink and closes the passenger's side door. Rebecca waves goodbye to them as they drive away. She stares at the feather earring and gets some good vibes from it.

_What a lovely gift. What a lovely family. Wait? What? Did I just think that? Ok. I-I-I have a lot of things to think about. I need to lay down and rest. What a day._

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	32. A Link to the Past

**Chapter 32**

* * *

After spending an hour at the park with her daughter Rachel, an exhausted and worried Chloe Caulfield returns home to check up on her wife. Throughout playtime at the park, Rachel repeatedly asked her mother how was their trip but Chloe, who doesn't want her children to be too concerned, told her that everything was fine and her condition was under control. She once again assures Rachel that Max is simply too tired and not ill. Knowing her daughter is too smart and curious to flat-out lie to, Chloe decides to downplay the situation as long as she possibly can, even though it hurts her that she's not telling the whole truth to Rachel.

As soon as they get home, Chloe instructs her daughter to take a shower and get a head start on her schoolwork. Rachel agrees but wants to go upstairs to see her mother Max. Chloe tries to persuade her not to go upstairs, reminding Rachel that Max is too tired and probably resting, but Rachel assures her mother that she simply wants to see her. Chloe quickly follows her daughter upstairs towards the master bedroom and sees Rachel going to her mother's side. Chloe remains still by the door, just watching the two most important people in her life having a bonding moment. Max is laying down and apparently sleeping just like Chloe predicted. The two of them can even hear Max quietly snoring. Chloe sighs in relief and is glad that her wife is taking a well needed rest. She hopes that Max wakes up in a better mood. Not wanting to wake her mother up, Rachel gently kisses Max on the cheek and leaves her parents alone. Chloe watches the passing Rachel leave the room and head downstairs.

Chloe focuses her attention on the resting Max and just observes the love of her life sleeping, with a warm smile on her face. She looks around her bedroom as well and upon closer inspection, she notices a couple of odd things. Their bed is more disturbed than it should be, the bathroom's light was left on, and on the night stand she sees the family's album next to Max. Before Chloe can even start to think about possible explanations for these oddities, she gets interrupted by an eerie raspy voice asking her a question.

"Is  _she_  gone yet?"

Chloe gets goosebumps all over her body from the unexpected creepy voice that came from Max. She sees her wife suddenly getting up from bed, picking up the family album, and taking a seat on one of the sofa chairs. Chloe remains still and just carefully observes her wife flipping through pages of the family album.

_This is getting pretty strange. I never seen Max pulling out the family album by herself. She usually hates looking at photos of herself, fearing that she might accidentally go back in time by simply looking at them. It seems like she doesn't care about that right now, because she is really taking her time looking at the photos. I wonder why...wait a minute...is she...? Fuck!_

Chloe immediately runs up to Max and forcibly grabs the album from her. Max doesn't seem to be surprised or fazed by this at all, and remains sitting down and looking at the floor, as if nothing happened. Chloe quickly puts the album away and slowly confronts her wife. A bit freaked out by Max's actions and attitude, she instinctively keeps a distance away from her. She sees Max slowly raising her head to look at her. Chloe stares right at Max's poker face and her red puffy eyes.

"I asked you a question Chloe." Max responds, no longer speaking with the creepy raspy voice, rather, now with a monotone voice.

"Yeah, Rachel is gone..."

"No, I meant  _her."_

 _"_ Rebecca?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, she left. I actually dropped her off on the way towards to the park, as a courtesy."

"Hmm...alright then."

"Why? Did you need her or something?"

"I wanted to ask her something. Oh well."

"Well, I'm sure she will drop by sooner than later. Hey Max, what were you doing just now?"

"I was looking through old memories. That is all."

"I noticed you were at the beginning of the album, though. Around the time we first got together. You were eyeballing them very carefully. You weren't planning to..."

"What if I  _was_?"

Chloe gets interrupted by Max's bold question. This confirms Chloe's suspicions. Max was thinking of using one of the photos to go back in time. Chloe goes through several different emotional states in seconds. First, feeling angry, as Max has promised her that she will never go back in time again. Second, feeling betrayed, as Max attempted to break her promise and go back in time without telling her anything and doing it in front of her. Third, feeling scared, as Max was about to possibly wipe out a timeline, erasing her, their children, and everything they have worked so hard for in a blink of an eye. Ultimately, she eventually sympathizes with her wife and begins to cry. She goes up to Max and gives her a hug.

The devastated and emotionless Max can't bear to see her wife crying and immediately expresses actual feelings and begins to cry as well. Max holds Chloe very tightly as the two of them hug each other.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry Chloe...I just don't want to lose you..."

"It's okay Max. I understand. I understand, okay? I get it. You will never lose me though."

Chloe picks up her wife and carries her to their bed. They sit next to each other as Max bawls her eyes out and rests her head on Chloe's hips.

"Max. I know how much you love me. You've proven your love to me countless times. I know this isn't easy for you but you must understand. Your powers cannot help us You made a promise to me Max, and I trust you to keep it."

"B-b-b-but Chloe...please...just one try. If it doesn't work out..."

"NO! Max, don't even think about it! It's far too risky! You should know better than anybody, not to fuck around with time! We have to fight our battles like any other human being in this world. Without any superpowers or special abilities! We've done that for over twenty years now! Let's not revert twenty-five years of progress! We can't solve our problems using the supernatural, it isn't right and there's always unforeseen consequences if we do use them. Please Max, I know you only want to help, but you have to face the truth. Don't EVER use your powers again, no matter how bad things can get. Please please keep that promise. Do it for me. Do it for Rachel. Do it for our children. Do it for yourself. I don't want you to EVER experience what you went through for me and my father again."

The two of them keep sobbing for several minutes without a word spoken. Chloe just caresses Max's hair and neck while waiting for a response from her wife.

"Chloe." Max finally utters something, sounding more like herself.

"Yes, Max?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for attempting to use one of the photos. You're right. I made you a promise on the night of the storm. I didn't know what I was thinking...obviously not thinking straight. I'm just so...heartbroken...and...desperate..."

"I know Max.  _I know_. As I said, we have to face and handle our problems like everybody else. There's hope, as the doctor said. I'm going to stick around for a long long time. Don't worry so much about me, Max. We still have a lot of years together. Just like every obstacle we have come across on our life journey together, we will pull through! I promise you that."

After a minute of continuous crying, Max finally responds.

"Chloe...you always know how to cheer me up. How to make me feel better. I can't believe that you're the one sick and yet you're the hopeful one out of the two of us."

"Yeah, it's kinda funny when you think about it. C'mon Max. I don't want to see you acting like an emotionless robot all the time. I want my wife to be encouraging, hopeful, and...herself. The last thing I want, is battling this war by myself and seeing you like this. I want to come home everyday with the one and only... _Max Caulfield_."

Max blushes, sits up, and kisses Chloe on the mouth. Chloe is beyond delighted and gladly kisses her back. They tongue kiss each other for a few seconds before Max pulls away. They smile at each other and look straight into each other's eyes. Max holds her wife tight and whispers to her ear.

"I promise that I'll try to be as hopeful and confident as I possibly can. It's going to be a difficult road ahead of us, full of hardships, but we have endured so much together, there's nothing that can stop us now. I-I'm going to seek help too. I'm glad you contacted my psychiatrist. I really need professional help again. "

"That's the Max I know and love!"

Chloe joyfully shouts before kissing her wife on the mouth once again. The two of them are eager for much more but Max decides against it, as she has her 10-year old daughter downstairs to take of. Max gets up, washes her face, and changes into her night clothes. Chloe watches her wife undress while laying down on their bed. She struggles to remain awake as the lack of sleep, exhaustion, and overthinking have started to overwhelm her. Max sits by her wife's side and gently touches her on the cheek.

"Chloe. Go ahead and rest. I'll watch over Rachel until William comes home. Then I'll join you."

"I appreciate that Max. It's been a long day for the two of us. I'm so damn tired..."

"I know. I am too. However, I want to make up time with Rachel. I acted kind of rude towards her when we arrived. I also pretended to be asleep so she would go away. I'm sure she noticed."

"I'm not sure that she noticed but if she did, I think she will understand. Go to her then. I'll be waiting for you. I won't be going anywhere."

"Not on my watch, Price. Rest up, buttercup."

They smile at each other and Max kisses Chloe on the forehead before leaving the bedroom. Max catches one last glimpse of her wife laying on the bed with her eyes closed before closing the door and going downstairs to spend time with her daughter.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rebecca has started washing her clothes and cleaning up her dorm. While doing so, she catches up on her social media accounts to see what William and her friends have been up to. She notices that William have posted and shared photos of his football team and the games. He has also posted a few pictures and even a video of him at a bar enjoying the victory with some of his teammates. One the photos consists of him hanging out with a couple of chicks with revealing clothing. She doesn't think much of it and shrugs her shoulders but decides not to look at William's page any further. Rebecca moves on to Stephanie's accounts and realizes that she was at one of the games and even posted a photo of William throwing a football. Roger has posted about his computer science homework and sharing stuff about the recent  _Star Wars_  movie. Roger have sent her a couple of texts, suggesting for her and Steph to finally hang out one night in Seattle together. Rebecca agrees as she wants to spent less time with the Caulfields for now. As her clothes are finishing getting dried, she skims through the latest world and celebrity news. She checks her email and finds out that the Portland Police have sent her a couple of emails about her parent's case. She deletes all of them and double checks her phone to make sure she blocked the detective's number.

She finishes drying her clothes and goes back to her dorm room. To her surprise, she sees Stephanie and William hanging out by her front door. The two of them seem to have been enjoying a conversation. They were talking about a book or play. Upon seeing Rebecca, William immediately goes towards her, kisses her on the mouth, and helps her with the bag of clothes. Stephanie gets a bit annoyed by William cutting off their conversation but quickly masks it and goes up to Rebecca to give her a signature Best Friend hug and kiss. William goes ahead and puts the bag of clothes on Rebecca's bed while Stephanie and Rebecca catch up.

"Yo Rebs! How ya been?"

"I'm doing pretty good Steph. How about yourself?

"Just awesome! I just came by to say hi to you and look who I bumped into!  _Your_  man!"

"Wow! Yeah, what a surprise to see you two outside my dorm! Will, you didn't tell me you were coming over. In fact, I didn't know you were in Seattle already!"

William rejoins the two girls just outside the dorm room.

"I wanted to surprise you Rebs. Mission failed. In fact, we both failed, didn't we Steph? But then we quickly thought of a different plan!"

"Yeah, we did! You weren't inside so we just decided to wait here so we can surprise you, together!"

"Well, gee, thanks guys. I needed that today. I'm glad to see you both after a while."

After an awkward moment of all three looking at each other and smiling, Stephanie decides to leave.

"I'm going to leave two alone. I'm sure you two lovebirds need some time to catch up. Text me Rebecca. I'll say you later...Will."

"See you Steph!" William waves goodbye to her and focuses his attention back to Rebecca. She tries to enter her dorm but gets stopped by William's arm.

"Hey so, what are you going to do tonight?"

"Actually Will, after babysitting Rachel and spending a night at your house, I"m really really tired. I think I'm just going to call it a night."

"Well, I could join you..."

William starts kissing Rebecca on her mouth and neck but Rebecca politely refuses his advancements.

"N-not right now Will. It's been a long day for me. Besides, I think your parents need you right now."

"My parents? Why? They texted me and told me everything was fine."

"Well, I think they're hiding something. Your mother Max...didn't look so good. Plus, Rachel never stopped talking about you while I was over there. I think she would like her big brother to come home and spend some time with her."

William visibly looks confused and disappointed. He clearly was ready and intended to spent the night with her. However, He slowly nods his head in agreement and prepares to leave.

"Oh...okay. Alrighty then. I'll leave you alone. I'll see you later then!"

William kisses Rebecca again and walks away. However, Rebecca remembers about William's game.

"Wait, hold on William."

"What is it Rebs?" William turns around and appears to be hopeful, possibly thinking that she changed her mind.

"Congrats on winning the game."

"Oh...yeah, thanks."

William smiles but clearly walks away disappointed. Rebecca doesn't really care as she wasn't in the mood anyways and she's actually being honest with him. Rebecca steps inside her room and locks the door, deciding to finish organizing her room before heading to bed. As Rebecca organizes her clothing, she feels something on one of her jean's back pockets. She immediately remembers that these are the jeans she was wearing when she met Sean Prescott. She retrieves whatever is inside the pockets and realizes that they are the photos that he gave her. Still in good shape, well, not further damaged by the washing machine.

_No way! I forgot about these! Wait, hold on! I rewound that entire conversation! How do I still have these photos? This doesn't make any sense. Did my rewind not work? I would think Sean Prescott would be all over me if it didn't. So...what actually happened? How did these photos survived being washed and dried? Well...nevermind that now. I just need to get rid of them. But...how can I? There are photos of baby boy Nathan Prescott. Cute little thing. The son of a scumbag though. I need to keep them away from me though. I don't want to use my powers to go inside any of these photos, even if it seems to be innocent events. I better empty all of pockets now to make sure I don't keep these sort of things around._

Rebecca empties the pockets of all her jeans, shorts, jackets, and of course empties her purse. She finds receipts, loose change, work and school notes, and one more photo of Nathan. She lays everything out on her desk and sees what she can discard. However, Rebecca remembers to empty her current pockets and retrieves the blue feather earring Rachel gave her. As she lays the earring next to the Nathan photos, she realizes that her gemstone ring has started glowing brightly. Simultaneously, the blue feather earring and all the Nathan Prescott pictures begin to blow with the same color. The overwhelming light completely blinds her.

_What the hell is going on!? What's happening!? What's my ring doing now!? I have a bad feeling about this...hold on...WHAT THE FUCK!_

Before Rebecca can even react, she is forcibly pulled towards the light by an invisible powerful force. She sees nothing but complete whiteness but feels like she is free-falling as if she just jumped from an airplane. Rebecca can do nothing more but to scream in horror and wish that whatever is happening to her, it will be over quick. Eventually, after what felt like minutes, Rebecca no longer feels that she is free falling but still doesn't see anything. She apparently didn't land either, as she didn't feel any impact force at all. For all she knows, she can still be falling down but her body no longer feels it. Rebecca remains still, afraid to move at all, and just closes her eyes expecting to resume 'free-falling' any second now. However, that moment never comes and she eventually begins to move her arms and legs.

She re-opens her eyes and sees nothing but shades of grey and black. There's no visible foundation and nothing around her. She examines her body and sees no visible injuries or wounds. She catches her breath and tries her best to make sense of this. She concludes that she must be dreaming and calls out Nathan's name.

"Nathan! Are you there!? Hello!?"

She gets no response. She shouts his name several more times but still receives the silent treatment. She starts walking for a bit but still can't see anything other than the colors of black and white. She starts to run all over the place, hoping to find something or somebody to make sense of this. After a while, Rebecca finally sees something in her sight. A camp fire. In the middle of nowhere. Rebecca rushes towards it and as soon as she within six feet away from it, the fire extinguishes.

"Rebecca Styles in the flesh."

An unfamiliar female's calm and sweet voice appears from behind her. Rebecca quickly turns around and sees a shadow, actually, more like an outline of a female figure. This figure has an fiery aura surrounding her. She has no face, no skin, no clothing and no accessories whatsoever. However, rather than feeling intimidated by this character, Rebecca just observes this figure with awe. Suddenly, the figure claps her hands and three wooden doors are created out of thin air.

"Well done Rebecca! You're one of the few mortals that has ever stepped foot inside this plane of existence. You have discovered a direct link to this place, thanks to your...efforts. I am the Gatekeeper. I would like to play a game. Shall we?"

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	33. Two Truths and a Lie

**Chapter 33**

* * *

As William Caulfield walks away disappointed from Rebecca's dorm building, he spots their friend Stephanie outside, texting on her phone. He decides to resume chatting with her, since Rebecca blew him off and he has nothing else to do. He called Max to make sure she and everything else was fine. Max confirmed so and even sent a photo of herself and Rachel painting a forest on a canvas, which pleases him. He approaches Stephanie who, smiles once she sees him.

"Hey Will. What's up?" Stephanie asks, filled with nervousness and excitement.

"Oh, nothing much it seems. What are you doing?"

"Just texting my friends. Figuring out what to do tonight. All of my friends are busy or stuck with homework. It's a bummer."

"Hmm...we're on the same boat. I don't have anything going on tonight either."

"Oh, I thought you were going to hang out with Rebecca."

"That's what I thought too but she wasn't feeling it. So I guess I'm free to do whatever."

"Ah, that's a problem."

"Yeah..."

The two of them awkwardly smile at each other and don't say a single word to each other for a few seconds. Stephanie keeps staring at his eyes, which are taking turns looking at her and at Rebecca's building. As Stephanie is about to ask William a question, he asks the question, as if he read her mind.

"So Steph, do you want to hang out?"

"H-hang out?"

"Yeah! Do you want to go catch a movie? A play? I think the local theater is playing  _The Tempest._ If not, how about a round of mini-golf? Have you ever played mini-golf?"

"O-oh yeah, I have played mini-golf before. Although it's been a while. I would love to play it again."

"Awesome! We're going to the Waterfront then. Are you ready?"

"The Waterfront? That's by the Pier right?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh, cool! I actually haven't been to the Pier yet! So yeah! Count me in! I would love to go! "

"Good good. So uhh...just follow me I guess haha"

Stephanie can't believe it that this happening and follows William to his car, like a puppy in love, until she stops herself and questions herself and William's mindset. She starts to feel uncomfortable going out with the boyfriend of her best friend.

"Hey Will."

"Yes, Steph?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"About us hanging out together. Going to the Waterfront and all. By the pier. By all those restaurants and fun things around us..."

William catches on and realizes that Stephanie is assuming this is a date.

"There's nothing wrong with friends hanging out right? So don't worry about it. Now, let's have some fun."

William's words relieves Stephanie and she gladly goes along with him. They get inside his car and drive towards one of Seattle's Piers.

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain private investigator is visiting the Arcadia Bay Police department, with an appointment with the Sheriff, David Madsen. She patiently waits in his office while taking notes and examining the evidence and clues she has gathered so far. After a few minutes, the tall, formidable, and serious Sheriff David Madsen enters his office and greets the investigator.

"Miss Watson. It's been a while. How can I help you? I hope you're not recording our conversation or making yet another special report of the 2013 storm. I'm getting sick of you media and wannabe media nuts coming here to the Bay asking about it."

The private investigator and KTLA 5 news reporter can't take her eyes off the Sheriff's thick gray mustache at first, but eventually tries her best to focus her eyes away from it.

"Well Mr. Madsen, I would like to apologize in advance because the reason of my visit does relate to that. I do promise not to take too much off your time though. I just wish you to ask a few questions and look at some photographs. That's all. Please? This is going to be different from my other reports and from the typical media requests, I swear!"

"Is that really all?"

"Yes, I swear!"

"Fine. How can I help you?"

Juliet Watson takes out a folder filled with some documents, photographs, notes, and drawings.

"Before I show you these photographs, I wanted to know if anybody outside the town has come by and acted suspicious at the lighthouse?"

"Suspicious? It depends on your definition of 'suspicious'. As I said, there's always nutjobs and dumb Youtube people at the lighthouse causing trouble. I have to be there at least once a week to neutralize them."

"Well, excluding those type of people, has anybody else arrived here and created a suspicious or rather strange scene?"

"Hmm...well now that you mention it. I recall several months ago, that some kids from Portland arrived here and randomly started digging at the cliff. They said they were looking for treasure or something stupid like that. I don't remember them finding anything though. Those kids really stood out to me. I felt it was very strange for some punk kids from out-of-town to randomly dig at a memorial site. I let them go, of course, since they didn't do anything wrong and I knew I could fill that hole by myself, but nevertheless, it was an odd experience."

Juliet nods her head and takes some notes.

"What you said is very familiar to something I found. Anyways, do you think you could identify one of those kids if I show you a photograph."

"Yes, I believe I can. What's going on with them though? You got a case?"

"You can say that. I just need you to look at some photos and tell me if you can identify any of them. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Juliet retrieves some photos and gives them to the Sheriff, face down. The thick-mustached man turns the photos around and examines them. He quickly points out the mixed-race tall girl as one of the kids he saw digging at the lighthouse.

"This girl was one of them."

"Who?"

"This gal."

The Sheriff identifies Rebecca Styles as one of the people he recognizes, although not by name. A wide grin starts to form on Juliet's face.

"Do you know her name Sheriff?"

"No, they didn't give me their names, but I'm 100% sure that she was one of the three that dug that hole. Her eyes gave her right away. She was at the lighthouse. I never saw her or any of them ever again after that day, though."

"Perfect! I'm onto something now. I'm glad I stopped by."

"May I ask, who is the girl and why are you after her?"

"It's a private case Sheriff. I hope you understand."

"I do understand Miss Watson but I'm just curious. Is she a threat? Should I be on the look out for her? Should I start an investigation?"

"Don't worry Mr. Madsen. Any possible investigation would be handled by the Portland Police Bureau. It's nothing serious, I assure you. She's not a physical threat at this time. There's no need for any kind of police action on your part. It's a private personal case. That's all. You are helping a concerned person, though. So, on her behalf, thank you very much for your time Sheriff."

"Wait, hold on. Don't you want me to identify the other two kids that were with her?"

"Hmm, not really. We're not interested in them. On the other hand, though, tracking those two might be useful. Can you describe them for me?"

"Well, there was one male and one female with her. The male was a short Hispanic, brown-skinned man, around 5'5, chubby, around 220 pounds, wearing glasses, he just looked a bit dorky. The female was a white girl with brunette hair, around the same height as the male, and had sharp blue eyes. That's my best description of them."

"Hmm, I'm glad you told me about these two. You perfectly described two members of the crowd on a video I saw."

"A video?"

"Yes. You see, a kid published a YouTube video of the digging taking place from that day. He titled it "Treasure found at Arcadia Bay Lighthouse". It was a short and bad quality click bait video with only a couple of dozen views, but it was very intriguing to me. I couldn't believe I found such a gem. It was a real treasure to me. It raised all sorts of questions and got me very excited, I can't stress that enough. The three individuals you identified and described are on that video, although very briefly. Now that you have confirmed that one of them is my main... _.suspect._..this tells me I'm getting warmer with each step. Now, I just have to go to the next step."

"Which is?"

"I'm sorry Sheriff. I believe I said too much already. I apologize, sometimes I just get too passionate about my work, I can't contain my enthusiasm! Haha! I have to go now! Thanks again for your time Sheriff! You've been a great help! God bless you!"

"Alright Miss Watson. See you. I just hope you weren't secretly recording this conversation. I don't want to see myself in some news report or documentary on TV."

"Don't worry about that, I wasn't recording. I promise you that. You have my word. This is not going to be on TV...yet."

The two of them shake hands and Juliet Watson leaves his office and the Arcadia Bay Police department. She sees a flyer for the Blue Whales Diner on an electrical pole and decides to pay the diner a visit for her lunch break, before heading off to her next destination. She circles the descriptions of Rebecca's two friends and decides to play the video once again for reference, before putting everything away in her car and heading out towards the diner.

* * *

Meanwhile, in places unknown, Rebecca Styles finds herself in the presence of the otherworldly being shrouded by a fiery aura. However, the fiery figure doesn't seem to be a threat or a menace. The 'heat' and 'energy' output coming from the figure actually relaxes her, almost sedating her, feeling totally at peace.

"A game?" Rebecca asks the mysterious being shrouded by fire.

"Yes, a game. I used to enjoy games a lot in my past life."

"What kind of game?"

"A simple but very important game. Have you ever played '2 Truths and lie'?"

"I don't recall ever playing it, but I'm familiar with it."

"Ah, good. It used to be among my favorites. We're about to play...a  _modified_  version of it. You see those three doors?"

The fiery female figure points out the doors, one by one. Rebecca instinctively examines each of them. Initially, when they spawned in, she thought all three looked the game, however, upon closer examination, they are distinctly different from each other. The left one looks older and rustier, from top to bottom, than the other two. The middle one looks like a regular wooden door, nothing remarkable. The right one is unique. The top half of the door looks newly polished while the bottom half looks completely burnt and degraded.

"Yes, I see them." Rebecca calmly answers. She patiently waits for the figure's response and instructions.

"Very well. These doors represent three  _possible_  time periods of your life. A possible past. A possible present. A possible future."

"A possible past? A Possible future!? What do you mean by this? I'm not following..."

The fiery figure put her hand on Rebecca's left shoulder. The fiery touch doesn't burn Rebecca at all, instead, it relaxes her further. The figure starts to explain.

"Rebecca, can you guess what sort of place is this?"

Rebecca looks around and tries to come up with a good answer to the being's question, but doesn't answer, as she doesn't want to come off as stupid. She simply nods her head, indicating she didn't know. She once again realizes that although she is clearly conscious, her cognitive thinking skills are greatly hindered and it seems like everything she does or thinks, it's out of her control. Her actions and thoughts are all out of instinct.

"It's fine that you don't know. No one has ever answered correctly. Rebecca, this is an  _empty timeline._  You see, my friend, in this expanding universe, there exists endless different timelines and dimensions. When this universe began, it started with only one timeline. However, as  _life_  was born, more timelines started to form. Why may you ask? Because for every action, inaction, decision, or choice a conscious being makes, an alternative timeline is created. For example, a simple choice, such as deciding what to eat for lunch, creates an alternative opposite timeline where you chose something else or nothing at all. This applies to every single human and conscious being that has ever lived. This may sound very complicated and confusing to understand, but believe me, it's easier to comprehend than you think."

"H-how is this all possible? You mean for every choice or decision someone makes, it creates another timeline!? There's currently billions of people living! There must be trillions if not more timelines out there! Right?"

"There are more than trillions of timelines in existence yes. Countless! I know that sounds incomprehensible, but the universe has a neatly organized method of keeping everything intact. Think of it like a computer. You can store data on it. You can create data. You can rewrite or overwrite data. Unlike like a computer's hard drive though, the universe is expanding, allowing for countless more timelines to be created. There's no specific limitation nor maximum storage space. It's the natural flow of time and space!"

"Wow! This sounds so amazing! I'm speechless! I'm really just...in awe. I can't believe this is all real!" Rebecca is genuinely amazed and shocked to hear that exists other timelines and alternative dimensions.

"Indeed, the universe and life in general are full of wonders and beauty. It's unfortunate that not everybody has the privilege of knowing such knowledge. If human beings knew about what I'm telling you, I can't even begin to imagine how that would affect the human race. However, getting back to explaining this particular place. As I said, this is an  _empty_ timeline."

" _Why_  is it empty?" Rebecca asks, once again, out of instinct. She didn't even think of asking the question. The fiery being's body language indicates that she's glad Rebecca is quickly catching on.

"I'm glad you asked that question. You see Rebecca, as I explained, the universe has a very efficient way of keeping all these timelines and dimensions stored and intact. However, if a timeline is created by fierce corruptness, selfishness, greed, or by forcibly manipulating and tampering the natural flow of time and space, it causes negative effects on the space-time continuum. This place is just one example of such negative effects. Human beings trying to play 'God' and defying the space-time rules have created corrupted and twisted timelines like these. These types of timelines are not natural. The universe has no choice but to create a timeline caused by these twisted actions so the end results are never pretty. Time Rifts, pocket dimensions, distorted timelines, timelines intertwining, and forced timeline rewrites are slowly creating a big problem. This hasn't been the case until recently in human history. No other species out there has come close to the dangerous level human begins have pose to space and time. Anyways, I wanted to tell you this before we began the game. I hope you understand things a bit better."

"To be honest, I'm rather lost. I mean, I understand what you said. It makes sense. I-I just don't want know to think! I don't know what to say! I just can't believe this is real!"

"Believe me Rebecca, it's real. Anyways, shall we begin?"

"Begin what?"

"Our game. Rebecca, you've been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to enter into one of three different possible points in your life. This is your ticket for a second chance in life. This is your ticket to improve yourself and your life in general. Once you start and finish the game, there is no coming back."

The fiery figure takes a hold of Rebecca's hand and examines the gem stone ring on her ring finger. She also examines the blue feather earring and a Nathan photograph that she was apparently carrying with her left hand, although she never realized it until now. She didn't feel she was holding anything on her hands.

"While I do question the origins of your powers and abilities and how you managed to come to this place, there is no question on my mind that you are indeed special, Miss Styles. You've been given this opportunity for a reason. I have my theories but...there's just my theories and assumptions. I want to see you in action. Now! Let us begin! Chose one of these three doors to enter. Remember, the key word is  _possible._ "

"Well, okay. Let's see then. I think I get it. I can choose one of these doors and I will go to the past, present, or future. Is that right?"

"You are correct. Let me tell you a bit more about these three options. The left one, the past door, will bring you back to a certain time period before you encountered this place. You will lose everything you have worked hard for, the knowledge you learned, and the experienced you gained. You will lose any progress you have made. However, in exchange, you will gain a second chance and regain everything you have lost up to this point. Do you understand?"

"I-I think so."

"Good. The middle door, the present, will lead you to an alternative present timeline. You will not gain anything but you won't lose much either. You will only lose the knowledge and skills you have learned up to this point. You will still be  _Rebecca Styles_ , just in a different timeline. A  _normal_  timeline. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Third, but certainly not least, the right door will lead you to a possible future timeline. You will gain exceptional knowledge, skills, wisdom, abilities and much more. You will experience things that human beings from your current timeline can only dream of doing! You will become a more enlightened, powerful, and a courageous person than you are now. However, it comes at a Price."

"A price?"

"Yes. All of these choices have pros and cons. You have to use your best judgment."

"What are the cons of the future option!?"

"I'm afraid that I'm really not at liberty to say. Go ahead Miss Styles, pick your choice. There's no  _right_  answer."

"Okay then...well..umm..."

Rebecca tries to think of which door to choose. However, as much as she wants to think about it, she is unable to do so. She feels she's about to wake up from this apparent dream, even though it feels extremely real to her. She feels her connection to this place is getting weaker and weaker each second that passes by, standing still and trying to decide. She looks at the fiery female figure, who is observing her carefully. She turns back to look the doors and tries to figure about which one to choose. However, one option clearly stands out the most. Ever since the word "future" was spoken by the otherworldly being, she was immediately intrigued. To Rebecca, there is no other choice. She does not wish to go back to the past. She is fine with the present. Going to the future is the one that makes the most sense to her. She wants to grow, expand, and soar above all others. The mysterious being warned her about paying a certain price and the possible cons of the option but she shrugs them off. Feeling that she's about to run out of time , she quickly runs towards the future door, opens it, and enters it. A flash of white light blinds her.

"So...my assumption was correct. I'm not surprised. I'll see you up ahead Miss Styles."

The fiery being's last sentence echoes while Rebecca is apparently transported somewhere else. The flash of light eventually fades away, revealing several dreamlike sequences, well, more like nightmare-fuel sequences. She sees glimpses of a futuristic city, similar to cities from such movies like  _The Fifth Element_ or  _Blade_  Runner. Next, she sees tall half-human, half-robotic like people hovering around and above her, and later gets a glimpse of her being tied to a gurney with several strange-looking android humanoids examining her. It seems like she's in a hospital or a surgical center, having a procedure done. She sees one of them pointing a sharp object at her forehead.

"Oh, what the fuck!" Rebecca shouts from the top of her lungs and realizes that she's back in her dorm room. She feels like she just fell from a considerable height. She feels a tremendous amount of pain on the right side of her head. She writhes in pain while trying her best to figure out what the hell just happened.

_What the fuck was that about? Who or what the fuck were those things? What did they do to me? Ugh...I feel fucking horrible. It's like I fell from my chair or something. Oh god. What the fuck! I think I'll be okay though. I just have to...get up. I'm glad that shit, whatever it was, is now over. Jesus Christ!_

Rebecca slowly gets up from the floor and checks herself out in the bathroom mirror. She washes her face and sees that nothing has changed. She sees no visible injury or wound on her anywhere. She still looks the same. She still has the ring. Everything else in her dorm looks exactly the same. She begins to question if she was just dreaming about going into the future. She goes back to her desk and sees the blue feather earring and the photos neatly laid out on the desk.

_What did I just experience? It wasn't a dream! It couldn't be! That felt so fucking real! What the fuck was that!? Was it a lucid dream? Did I just dozed off? Maybe. Oh man. I'm getting sick of these nightmare fuel experiences. Getting really fucking tired of them! I hope all of that was in my head. I hope none of that was actually real. God help me._

Rebecca begins to compose herself and put everything back to where it was. She throws away the Nathan photos, but keeps the blue feather inside the journal. She considered throwing away the feather as well, but decided against it, in case Rachel asks for it. She doesn't want to ruin the progress she made with the child, to gain her trust. As she finishes putting everything away and starts to work on a class project to distract herself, she can't help but to write random numbers and dates on her notebook. She writes the following mysterious material, but has no reason why.

10, 21, 30, 43, 63, 17. 05/1/2039

01, 03, 12,22,42,06. 6/30/2040

A, D, D, B, A,C, D, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, D. 1/2040

Red Sox 2038, 2041, 2044 WS wins. Dolphins 2044 NFL Champs.

01/1/2039-New York City Conference. Nasdaq.

05/13/2041- Invest in Pharmaceuticals. Eye drug.

 _Why am I writing all of this? I don't even know what half of this even means! I don't follow any sports. What the hell is happening to me? I can't stop thinking about numbers and dates! Dammit, look at my hand! It's like it has its own mind, writing all of this stuff down. I can't resist the urge to keep writing those all these dates and numbers!_   _What do these numbers and date even mean!_ _Holy shit! This is fucking crazy! The worst things about is I can't stop myself and I can't share this with anybody else. Not even William. They would call me a fucking freak or a lunatic! I-I just have to keep writing this shit down until I stop eventually. Hopefully it will go away. I just need to keep writing. Great idea Rebecca. Let's do that._

So she did. For the rest of the evening and throughout the night, Rebecca writes an entire notebook worth of random cryptic dates, numbers, and names. Her hands never get tired. She doesn't get sleepy. She continues to write, getting more intrigued by her writing material as she continues.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	34. Sleepless in Vancouver

**Chapter 34**

* * *

 

It has been three months since the Caulfields received the devastating news that Chloe has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The terrible news shocked the entire family and close friends of the Caulfields. Some of the family's friends such as Kate Marsh and Steph Gingrich have started visiting the family more often. Max's parents and Chloe's stepfather, David Madsen, have also paid them a visit. It was a rough first month, especially for Max Caulfield, who was overwhelmed with feelings of deep depression and desperation. She was so desperate and hopeless that she nearly broke an old promise she made to her wife. However, as always, it was Chloe Price, of all people, to rescue Max from her inner demons. Thanks to the tremendous support from their relatives and friends, the Caulfields have passed the stages of denial, anger, and depression. They have moved on to the acceptance stage, the fighting back stage.

Everybody in the immediate family has stepped up. Chloe has been compliant with her medical work up and takes it easy when she needs to. Max has been fully supportive and encouraging lately, keeping a positive outlook and being there for her wife at all times. Max has also started to be more involved with family matters and taking care of the small tedious tasks that her wife usually takes care of, such as grocery shopping, paying bills, driving Rachel to school, gardening, and going to parent-teacher conferences. Rachel has improved her bratty behavior and always does her chores when asked. William too has stepped up, by being home more often and researching her mother's disease and do everything he can possibly can to help her mother and family out.

Max has been so proactive lately, that Chloe has noticed that on some nights, Max is not in bed with her, apparently running errands, watching over Rachel, and taking care of business. Max even suggested at one point to dedicate her next photo exhibit to raise awareness of Chloe's condition, but Chloe refused, not wanting to draw further attention to herself. However, she was sincerely touched by her wife's idea. Although Chloe still undergoes severe stressful days by managing and overseeing an entire company and her financial investments while undergoing serious medical treatment, she still goes to sleep with a smile on her face, feeling grateful that she has her family by her side.

If it wasn't for the excessive specialist visits, lab work, radiology exams, and diagnostic testing, the Caulfields wouldn't even have the cancer on their minds. In fact, during Rachel's 11th birthday party, nobody even brought it up. If you were a party guest, you wouldn't even suspect a thing. Rachel's birthday party, completed coordinated and planned by Max and Steph, was exactly what the family needed. Usually Chloe's job to plan out such events, Max insisted on taking care of the party arrangements, to relieve her wife from stressful and tedious duties. Max and Steph booked a jumper, inflatable water slides, buffet catering, and entertainers dressed as popular characters for the kids to beat up and torment. They also planned games and events such as water balloon fights, NERF wars, musical chairs, squirt gun painting, and treasure hunts. Chloe was surprised to see her wife getting her hands dirty and taking charge. It's been a long time since Max was smiling and genuinely being social with her family, friends, and their invitees. Seeing the joy on Rachel's and Max's faces that night made Chloe feel better than any drug or drink could possibly can. That night was so fun, nostalgic, and unforgettable, it made Chloe cry from happiness. Max and Chloe made love that night. The next morning, Chloe felt more alive than ever.

Another person who is greatly helping Chloe as well, is her son's girlfriend, Rebecca Styles, who has agreed to take her offer to train her to become the future CEO. Rebecca's quick learning, attention to detail, and eagerness to learn more has sped up the process. Rebecca is doing so well in fact, that Chloe feels she could be ready a year or two sooner than expected. What Chloe didn't expect at all, is Rebecca's impressive knowledge of the stock market and current money trends. She predicated the rise and falls of several popular stocks to a tee, helping Chloe gain a decent profit and saving money in the process. In just a few months, Rebecca has helped her more with her financial investments than Mayra ever has. Chloe was so thrilled and impressed, she raised Rebecca's hourly wage by a couple dollars. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed and has re-ignited the tension between Mayra and Rebecca. Although there hasn't been an incident yet, Mayra's sarcastic and bitchy behavior towards Rebecca has intensified than ever before. The constant belittling, questioning, taunting, and fake smiles whenever they interact has completely irritated Rebecca, who filed an anonymous complaint against her. Mayra clearly didn't take this lightly at all and left a note on her desk, which Rebecca interpreted as a vague threat. ' _Be careful. Your time is running out_.' was written on the note. Although she doesn't fear Mayra, Rebecca has realized that she's becoming a problem, a problem that needs to be taken care of sooner than later.

Another problem created for both Rebecca and Chloe by their agreement is the fact that all the time being spent training after school and after work hours greatly displeased William. Rebecca and William's relationship have been driven to the point of almost being non-existent. The two of them barely interact with each other anymore. They haven't gone out on a date lately. The few times they do spend time together, it's all small-talk conversations and nothing more. Rebecca's either too busy or too tired to do anything lately, forcing William to go out more with his football friends and to parties to pass the time. He and Stephanie have hung out more too, going out for bowling, swimming, and playing tennis and video games together. William even brought Stephanie home for dinner one night, raising eyebrows and causing Rebecca to be concerned. However, William assured everybody that she was just a friend and he was simply being courteous. Feeling a bit jealous and afraid about possibly losing William, Rebecca reluctantly agreed to take a break from Chloe's training and from the stock market, to spend more time with him. To make her son happy, Chloe obliged with the idea and agreed to suspend their private sessions for a month.

They are currently in Vancouver, British Columbia, in a five-star hotel, both exhausted from the long weekend they just spent together. Spending a full day biking at Stanley Park, exploring Yaletown, visiting the popular gardens, walking at the beach, going to Grouse Mountain, and crossing the Capilano Suspension bridge, has definitely taken a toll on the couple. William is fast asleep and snoring, but Rebecca is wide awake, unable to sleep. She has far too many things on her mind. Although she is truly exhausted, she has the urge to get out of bed. However, it's only 5:20am, too early to wake William up or go outside. Hardly any store is open at this hour. Unable to fall asleep, Rebecca gets off the bed, gently removes William's arm around her and decides to stare out the hotel's window to get a good view of the city. She takes a seat on the window sill and observes the beautiful early morning sky on top of the Vancouver skyline. She starts to reflect on current events and her life in general. She thinks of the day she just had with her boyfriend, her friends, her adoptive parents, Max Caulfield, and her future.

In a way, she is glad and relieved to get out of Seattle for a while, but at the same time, feels she is wasting valuable time and money. She has gotten incredibly lucky lately, winning small lottery jackpots and accurately predicting the stock market trends. Somehow, all those weird numbers and dates she wrote months ago have started to add up and make sense. However, the majority of it is still gibberish to her. Despite the recent successes, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for her. Mayra has become an issue once again and according to Roger, a mysterious person has been following him lately and even asked him about their Arcadia Bay visit. Thankfully, he refused to disclose any information and acted oblivious, keeping his promise to Rebecca. Her other best friend, Stephanie, has also reported a similar incident last week, but she too kept her promise not to share any information with anybody. Rebecca was honestly surprised that Stephanie kept her word, due to the recent tension and misunderstanding between the two of them. She honestly now feels bad for what she did to Stephanie and fully understands that she was taking her friendship for granted and taking advantage of it. The two girls met up the night before William and Rebecca left for Vancouver and had a heart to heart conversation. The two of them have truly reconciled. Rebecca once again thanked her friend for not spilling the beans.

So, it's not only Mayra and her relationship with William that's keeping her up,it's also the mysterious person that both of her friends spotted. They described the person as an average height male, wearing a baseball cap and heavy makeup. He was wearing sunglasses too, but apart from that, looked like any regular college student. They both said that the guy was following them around campus and when confronted, he explained that he simply wanted to know if they were the ones who were in a video he saw. He showed both of them a short video about a group digging up apparent treasure at the Arcadia Bay's Lighthouse Memorial Site. He wanted to ask a few questions about the treasure and was curious to see if they really found something. Roger and Stephanie were shocked to see a video of them being at the lighthouse on that day. Although it was difficult for the two of them to do, they somehow managed to persuade the person they weren't the same persons in the video. The mysterious person eventually left them alone after that and they never saw him again. Before he left, however, both Stephanie and Roger gave out their full names to the individual, which worries Rebecca.

_Who was that mysterious person...and why was he following around my friends? The man showed them a video of us hanging out at the lighthouse when we visited Arcadia Bay. Did he film it? If not, who did? How did he discover that video? I can't even find it online! I don't recall anybody filming us either! Why in God's name would anybody be interested in looking for two strangers who were in a random treasure video? Who would care so much about that? I'm honestly worried. Somebody out there knows more than they should. But...how is that even possible? There shouldn't anybody out there, except for Roger and Steph, to have a clue of what I'm up to. The only possible explanation I can think of is the Portland police, going after me and spying on me. Are the cops behind this? I didn't notice any strange person following me or William around this weekend though. Whoever is behind this, they are clearly tracking me step by step. What's the motive, though? Why would the police waste their time and resources spying on me? Are they really that desperate to get a suspect on my parent's case? Well, if they are, they aren't going to find anything because I sure as hell had nothing to do with the murders. It was Max Caulfield! But that's just it! If the police somehow manages to uncover my plot, I'm going to be in trouble. I just have to extra careful from now on, watch my back, and keep everything to myself going forward. I can't trust anybody anymore. Not even Stephanie or Roger. I just have to play it cool and carefully obverse my environments, for any suspicious activity. Oh, man, I'm going crazy just thinking about this. I don't like the idea of somebody spying and investigating me. I don't want my plans to be ruined! I still have work to do! I'm getting closer and closer but I'm still not ready yet to finalize everything. As the old saying goes, I have to keep my friends close and my enemies closer. Damn. Who was THAT guy? Err. Apart from the police, the only person I can think of that could be stalking me and my friends is that bitch Mayra. Is she that crazy though? Does she hate me THAT much? Would she really go that far? I have to keep an eye on her. She wrote that note after all. She's up to something. I just know it._

**Note: Because of Season 2 coming up, I'm going to try to write the rest of the story before it comes out. There's still around 20+ chapters left. Once I'm finished, I will release each chapter every Saturday morning.**

**Enjoy!**


	35. Finale (Trailer)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes:
> 
> Please note that "Episode 4" is not yet finalized. This is the TRAILER for the last "episode" of this fanfiction story. I'm doing this because:
> 
> 1\. I won't release any new chapters until I'm actually finished writing the rest of the story. This will take longer than I thought.
> 
> 2\. To give you a preview on things to come and for you to decide whether or not to keep reading :D. This trailer barely scratches the surfaces so don't feel like I just spoiled everything.

 

* * *

Finale TRAILER.

* * *

"Roger...you have to promise me...you'll keep this secret between us...okay?"

A shocked Roger is seen sweating profusely, with his eyes looking away from the woman holding him against a brick wall. The black-haired mixed race woman seems to be disoriented, nervous, and furious, so much so she's forcibly pinning Roger to a wall. Roger briefly nods and the woman smirks.

A sequence of TV news reports flash by.

They all seem to be reporting a terrible tragedy. Images of people crying, thousands of people leaving flowers by a casket, and celebrities and TV personnel giving interviews play out.

A glimpse of the Caulfields, Kate, Kristine Prescott, Steph, and many others are shown to be present at a funeral. Rebecca Styles is also present but there's a noticeable distance between her and the Caulfield family.

"Who could've done such a thing?" Chloe's voice is heard, asking the question to her wife apparently. Rachel is seen looking away from the funeral service and towards the direction of the other guests where Rebecca is.

Roger, acting completely unlike himself and appearing to be in some sort of daze, is approached by his friend Stephanie at school. Stephanie visibly looks concerned for her friend. Roger looks like he hasn't showered in weeks and is currently carrying his trash can in the middle of campus.

"What's wrong Roger? You've been acting so weird lately." Stephanie asks.

Roger is seen running away from her. Stephanie is left scratching her head.

Stephanie enters Roger's dorm, apparently while he's not present, and turns on his laptop. What she finds on the laptop terrifies her and almost makes her scream. Stephanie is seen grabbing a flash drive.

Stephanie is shown running in high speed and knocks on William's dorm room, who greets her.

Roger returns to his dorm and realizes that his laptop and workstation has been disturbed. He immediately panics and calls somebody.

William appears to be confused and in complete denial of whatever Stephanie is telling him. He keeps shaking his head and orders Stephanie out of his room.

Stephanie, with tears in her eyes, takes out her cellphone and shows him something clearly disturbing. William shakes his head in disbelief but can't look away from what he's seeing.

A knock on the door is heard, startling William and Stephanie.

Stephanie quickly takes her cell phone from William's hand and tries to hide it but accidentally drops it to the ground.

Rebecca Styles is seen entering the room.

"Rebecca, please. Don't come any closer. You're scaring me."

William is heard pleading and seen shielding Steph from their visitor.

A scuffle between them ensues.

Stephanie is hearing screaming from the top of her lungs.

The sound of a person falling to the floor is heard.

A group of people are heard entering the dorm room.

"Hands up! Hands up! Hands where I can see them! You're under arrest Rebecca Styles!"

A group of cops are shown with her guns drawn and pointed at Rebecca Styles, who looks completely surprised and scared.

One of the cops is familiar to Rebecca. It's Lead Homicide detective Carter from Portland.

Next, Rebecca is seen crying and begging for help inside her jail cell. She is holding the cell's bars while kneeling down.

Later, she is seen making a phone call to somebody, pleading for help but whoever is on the other side of the call, refuses to help her.

She is later seen having a visitor. It's Max Caulfield.

"Despite everything you've done, I still feel sorry for you... I want to help you... I just would like to know...why? Why me? Why my family? Why my friends? What have we  _ever_  done to you Rebecca?"

Rebecca is seen spitting at Max and tells her to fuck off while laughing to herself like a mad woman but eventually breaks down.

"Like you don't know Caulfield. This is all your fault. Congrats. You won."

"I don't know what you're talking about Rebecca. Won what? PLEASE JUST TELL ME! WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU!?"

Max pleads Rebecca to spill the beans but Rebecca refuses to say anything further and signals a guard to take Max away.

We later see Rebecca is sitting down with her face down, sobbing uncontrollably, and looking completely defeated.

The only thing that is remotely colorful and cheery, is Rebecca's gemstone ring which is still on her hand.

"My my...looks like somebody needs my help."

A strange but familiar man's sinister voice is heard.

Rebecca raises her head and is completely shocked to see an old tall man inside her cell. The man offers her a hand.

"Don't be a fool Styles! Get up! Take my hand and accept my offer!"

Rebecca is seen contemplating. She is also inspecting the ring, which is now glowing.

Rebecca shakes his hand.

Next, Rebecca is shown to be inside a prison cell but not her own's. She's been there before though.

"Jefferson. It's time."

An average height male's figure is seen standing up and stretching his body.

"I was worried you'd forgotten about me. What's the plan?"

Jefferson is later seen in front of the Caulfield's house, with his prison clothes still on. It is night time. Jefferson is heard whistling while entering the Caulfield property.

Rebecca is shown calling somebody and ordering that person to meet her where the holy grail was unearthed.

She is later seen to be sitting down with Sean Prescott in an eerie dark room. Both of them have their eyes closed and are speaking in an unknown creepy language.

The next morning arrives and Chloe's frantic screams wakes up Max, who rushes downstairs. She finds her Chloe inside Rachel's room, having a nervous breakdown.

"Chloe! What's going on!? What's happening!?"

"Rachel's gone Max! She's gone! She's not here! She's been kidnapped!"

"WHAT!? HOW!? How's is that possible!?"

"I-I don't know! Oh my god Max, we have to find her! We have to find her! Look! They left a ransom note!"

We are later shown a scene of Rachel gagged and bound to a chair. Jefferson is circling around her while he talks. They are apparently inside an old basement. Although Rachel is completely vulnerable, she looks confident and unafraid of Jefferson and simply stares him down while he talks. Jefferson gets face to face with her, touches her cheek, and focuses on her eyes.

"Just like Amber. Beautiful. Strong. Confident. Brave. You both have the same eyes too...it's a shame I have to do this..."

Jefferson is seen grabbing something from a box and slowly approaches Rachel with a creepy smile on his face. Rachel starts to feel afraid and violently shakes her head and lets out a terrifying roaring scream which paralyzes Jefferson.

"What the fuck!?" Jefferson is heard saying out loud as a large ball of fire forms inside the room. He sees the little girl who was tied up and gagged, completely engulfed in flames. An explosion is seen from outside. Wherever they were, it's obviously in the woods or a forest.

"BREAKING NEWS. A LARGE FOREST FIRE HAS SUDDENLY STARTED TEN MILES AWAY FROM ARCADIA BAY, OREGON. IT'S RAPIDLY SPREADING AND GETTING STRONGER BY THE MINUTE! FIREFIGHTERS ARE ALREADY ON THE SCENE..."

A television report is heard reporting a wildfire.

"It's Rachel! I know it's her! Quickly Max! We need to go to Arcadia Bay! NOW!"

"A-Arcadia Bay? I-I don't know about this Chloe...maybe it's not Rachel..."

"Max! Listen to me! It's Rachel! There's no doubt in my mind! She created that fire! She's in trouble! We need to get to the Bay quickly. I know it's hard for you to do but you have to come with me! It's going to be alright! I'll be here with you! As always! Rachel needs our help!"

Max and Chloe are seen holding hands while they step inside a police car. They get informed by the driver that Mark Jefferson has escaped from prison and Rebecca is unaccounted for. The couple's worst fears have been realized. Max almost faints upon hearing this but her wife quickly jumps to the rescue. Chloe comforts her wife as best she can while forming a battle strategy inside her mind.

We get glimpses of Rebecca meditating while unusual and surreal images surround her.

Rachel is seen wandering about in the woods, astonished by the huge and powerful fire she created. She is spotted by a security or body guard. She hears a familiar woman's voice calling out her name. It's Kristine Prescott.

"Oh my god, Rachel. What are you doing here!?" The woman kneels down and hugs the startled and confused 11 year-old girl.

"We need to get out of here Rachel! STAT! Let's go to my house and call your parents. I bet they are worried sick about you! What happened to you Rachel?"

"I-I-I don't know.." is all the small girl can utter.

Once Max sees the "Welcome to Arcadia Bay sign", she visibly looks disturbed and hides her face away in fear. She begins to shake and feel lightheaded. Chloe notices and holds her wife closer.

"Mommy!"  
"Rachel!"

Chloe and Max are happily reunited with their daughter inside the Prescott's mansion. Chloe picks her daughter up while Max takes a seat and observes them. Max starts to smile but remains dazed and confused.

"I'm so glad that nothing bad happened to you. I was so worried about you..."  
"Can we go home mommy?"

"Negative. That psycho Jefferson might still be out there. Rebecca Style's whereabouts are still unknown at this time. We highly recommend you stay in Arcadia Bay until they are captured. You are safe here. I promise you."

The family reluctantly agrees with Kristine Prescott's plan. Max, Chloe, Rachel, and Kristine Prescott remain in the living room with security guards and police officers guarding their room.

Steph Gingrich is seen arriving, carrying a huge briefcase and a bag full of goodies for Rachel. Everybody is delighted to see Ms. Gingrich.

"How long do we have to stay here mommy?" The bored and sleepy 11 year old girl asks her mother Chloe.

"Just for a little while. Don't worry, we'll be home sooner than you know it. Everything is going to be alright. Okay?"

Chloe comforts her daughter while looking at Max, who is clearly distracted by something internally and still shaking in fear.

"By orders of Kristine Prescott, all vehicles coming in and coming out of the city must be stopped and searched. Be on high alert for any suspicious activity..."

A police radio transmission is heard, coming from an unoccupied police car which is parked just outside the forest fire.

Dark clouds start to form. It begins to rain heavily. This sudden rain goes noticed by everybody expect the security force stationed outside the Prescott house, as the Caulfields, Kristine, and Steph are asleep. It is most likely past midnight. The rain incredibly puts out the wildfire instantly.

A tall female wearing a hoodie is seen walking slowly towards the Prescott Mansion. Her arms are crossed. She is looking down. Her eyes are closed. She stops walking once she approaches the main gates. Her appearance gets the attention of one of the security guards watching the main entrance.

Sean's Prescott words echoes inside her mind.

"The time is ripe Rebecca. Crush Max Caulfield! Do. Not. Fail. Me."

Somehow, Max snaps out of her sleep state and begins to panic. She paces around the room and desperately tries to wake up the others. She collapses to the floor. The lights inside the mansion go out and the rest of the group wake up to the sounds of screaming men inside the house. Chloe notices the fainted Max and immediately rushes to her aid but is stopped by something she feels underneath her.

"What's going on? The ground...is shaking! Oh my god!"

Chloe is seen going to a room full of security cameras and spots an intruder quickly approaching them. She recognizes the person.

"Kristine! Steph! Take Rachel and Max away and just run! RUN! DO IT NOW! I'll distract her!"

"MOMMY!?"

"Chloe? No...come with us...please..." Max is seen reaching out to her wife while being pulled away by Kristine and Steph. Max regained consciousness but can barely move or talk.

"I'll be alright! Don't worry about me! Just get outta here!" Chloe shouts.

"Listen Rebecca. We can talk about this okay? Let's relax and take it easy... Just you and me..." Chloe tries to plead and negotiate with the intruder. She has her hands up and tells the intruder to take a seat. Despite Kristine and Steph's efforts, Max breaks free and runs back to the living room. She sees her wife being slammed against the wall and getting knocked out cold.

"CHLOE!" Max shouts her wife's name. She sees blood coming from Chloe's head.

"You're next Caulfield."

"Leave my family alone you bitch!" Max shouts while punching Rebecca in the face. The punch is so powerful it sends Rebecca flying and crashing through a wall.

"I see the real Max Caulfield has decided to show up! Good! This will make things more interesting!" Rebecca exclaims while emerging from the rumble, with a bloody lip.

"Stay here Rachel! I'm going to help your parents!" Steph instructs Rachel to stay behind and she immediately rushes back to the living room. Rachel tries to figure out a way out.

Kristine Prescott is seen desperately trying to call 911 but gets interrupted by a sudden voice from a dark figure behind her.

"It's been a long time Kristine. Enjoying the show?"

"Father!?"

Fast glimpses of Max repeatedly punching Rebecca and slamming her against walls and furniture are shown.

"Dammit. You're tougher than I thought Caulfield. Alright! Time to reveal what I'm truly made of!" Rebecca shouts while exposing the glowing gemstone ring to Max Caulfield.

The environment around them changes into a dark, distorted, unusual world. This strange world resembles the Arcadia Bay lighthouse and beach but just barely.

"Do you remember this place Caulfield? I'm sure you do! How could you possibly forget it? OCTOBER ELEVEN TWO THOUSAND AND THIRTEEN!".

Max gets triggered by this and the fight ensues. Rebecca and Max exchange blows. As the fight continues, Max appears to getting more desperate and frustrated with each blow.

"Time is meaningless against Max Caulfield!" Max is heard shouting.

"That's it! Reveal to the world who you really are!" A bloody Rebecca is heard taunting and provoking Max. The two charge at each other.

A thunderstorm forms.

Rocks and boulders are getting destroyed.

Kristine Prescott points a gun at her father. She is crying.

Flashes of yellow lights are launched at Rebecca.

Rebecca kicks Max in the gut and slams her against the lighthouse.

Steph is seen choking Rebecca from behind and firing some sort of plasma rifle.

Kristine Prescott is shown sliding down a hill, armed with a gun.

The storm intensifies. The wind, lightning, and the dark ocean's waves get out of control.

Max is seen with her arms wide open at the top of the lighthouse cliff, with an enormous water spout behind her. Max looks down at Rebecca with anger and bloodthrist in her eyes. Rebecca laughs at Max and forms something bright in her hand.

"You don't have the slightest idea of the extent of the consequences caused by your actions, Caulfield! I represent everybody affected by your selfish actions!"

Rebecca shouts this while choking Max Caulfield with her bare hands. For a brief moment, Max sees the silhouettes of over a thousand people surrounding Rebecca.

"LEAVE MY MOM ALONE!"

Rachel, engulfed in flames, is seen shielding her mother and engaging Rebecca.

A gigantic firewall surrounds Rebecca.

A mushroom cloud is shown.

Max is seen shining brightly, with a white aura shrouding her. Upon seeing this new Max, Rachel's eyes widen in awe.

The shining Max is seen getting face to face with the frightened Rebecca, who looks beyond recognition. Rebecca's bloody, bruised, burnt, and disfigured appearance is quite shocking.

The trailer ends with a sequence of images and clips, out of order:

Stephanie and William are shown kissing each other at the beach.

Chloe is shown explaining something to the detained Rebecca. She's holding a folder.

Rebecca looks out of an airplane's window, enjoying the ocean view below.

Rachel is heard screaming and launching streams of fire at Rebecca, who is running away from them.

An injured Steph Gingrich is seen getting swatted away by Rebecca.

William and Chloe Caulfield's unconscious faces are shown simultaneously.

Rebecca kisses Roger in the mouth. She's holding a champagne glass.

A bruised and bloody Jefferson is seen swinging a knife.

Kristine Prescott reaches her hand out to the injured Rebecca, apparently trying to help her.

Juliet Watson is seen on a television screen reporting a breaking news event.

The distorted sky and the environment are literally getting cracked and falling apart.

Screams coming from Max, Rachel, Steph, and Rebecca are heard.

"I'm sorry Chloe. I know I promised...but this is the only way..."

An exhausted and bruised Max Caulfield, with tears in her eyes, reaches for something in her pocket. It appears to be something square.

**COMING SOON.**


End file.
